


The Art Of Surviving A Summer Camp

by Aree147



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hyuga Neji needs a Hug, Idiots in Love, It’s rated t because of the kids cursing quite a bit, I’ll add more tags as the story progresses, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Oh my god Lee is so in love it’s awfully sad to see him pine, Sakura might date Ino later on idk, Sasuke’s a bastard at the start, ShikaTema??, Srsly guys help Neji, Tags May Change, Tenten is ultimate wingman, Uchiha Sasuke Needs a Hug, don’t worry he’ll get better, gays and gals, no beta we die like men, shall it be canon in this, tbh, what do you guys think about that ship?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 28,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24377890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aree147/pseuds/Aree147
Summary: A complete guide, by Naruto Uzumaki.Edited by Sakura HarunoOR: Welcome to Camp Kage, which should really be Camp Counseling.(in which Naruto goes to a summer camp, sees some old friends, heals some lost ones, and makes some new ones, too.)
Relationships: Akimichi Chouji & Inuzuka Kiba & Nara Shikamaru & Uzumaki Naruto, Gaara & Kankurou & Temari, Gaara/Rock Lee, Gai-han | Team Guy & Maito Gai | Might Guy, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba/Kankurou, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto/Hyuga Hinata (onesided)
Comments: 115
Kudos: 83





	1. Rule One: Meet Your Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto says hi to some old friends, and already starts a fight.

  
**N** aruto clutched the metal pole like it was the only thing keeping him from falling to his death. Looking up, he saw the salvation that was the bright and colorful flag of the summer camp he’d been going to for years. The Five colors, representing the five shadows, or Kages. Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, and White.

When he was a freshman, he was drafted into the Cabin of the Fire Shadow, also known as the Konoha Cabin. Ironic that their cabin symbol was a leaf.

He was just a crazy knucklehead back then, running around with his four best friends like he owned the place. He pulled pranks with Kiba, had some midnight snacks with Choji, and skipped camp activities with a Shikamaru. They were all great friends, inseparable. But he and Sasuke were _unstoppable_.

‘ _Were_ ’  
  


Now here he was, a junior in high school, holding the same flag he did three years ago on the same day, with his classic shit-eating grin, and his big blue eyes reflecting the gleam of the sparkling lake before him.  
  


And he couldn’t wait to see his three best friends.

  
Everything felt the same, even though there were multiple renovations in the camp. It still had the fresh breeze, the glossy lake where he met his first friends, and the same fuzzy feeling he got when he saw the flag.

  
A whole summer to spend here, with his closest buddies along side him. Where there could be rivalry between cabins and food fights in the Mess Hall, and maybe this would be the year he asked Sakura out! He couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

He let his eyes wander around the place, letting his sapphire orbs capture everything around him. Man, he loved nature. In utter joy and bliss, he sank down to the grass with his back against the flag pole and just sighed. He couldn’t help but keep grinning at that gorgeous banner. He got to spend his whole summer here, with the ones he loved, and have never ending fun.

  
“Hey Uzumaki!”

  
Naruto took his eyes off the flag, and turned to find the person that matched that voice. Naruto grinned, seeing one of his best friends Kiba and his dog Akamaru jogging over to him. He gave a smile, his eyes closed in cheer.

“It’s been a long time, Kiba!” Naruto grinned, slinging an arm around his shoulder.

“You say that like we _didn’t_ see each other ten days ago.” He snickered back. He playfully ruffled the blonde’s hair and grinned.

“I was bored!” He grumbled, “And Shikamaru would never be on the group chat. Let’s go find the rest of the gang!” Kiba chuckled in agreement, then the two went off in search of Choji and Shikamaru.

  
  


They knew exactly where to find the two. Choji and Shikamaru were friends before camp, neighbors actually. They had a nice hangout place, which Naruto and Kiba both left alone. It was kinda their thing. They built a little lounging area on top of a grassy hill, where they watched clouds. The two more extroverted boys thought it boring, which was one of the reasons they never joined them.

  
“Man, how can they spend hours just looking at the sky?” Kiba grumbled. Akamaru barked in agreement. He groaned again, “And their little hideout is so _fucking_ far to walk—“

  
“There it is!” Naruto exclaimed, grabbing Kiba’s sleeve and they sprinted the final stretch together.

  
Just like they expected, both were stretched out on their backs, munching on a bag of barbecue chips. They both had sunglasses on to shield their eyes from the harsh sunlight, and their hands gently resting on their stomachs, only moving to grab more food.

  
Choji instantly got up, with his caring and happy attitude and pulled both Kiba and Naruto into a squeezing hug. Shikamaru was more hesitant to get up, lazy as always. He eventually came over and greeted them.

  
“I don’t get it,” Shikamaru frowned, “I saw you all like, a week ago. At school.”

  
“Yeah, but this is different.” Choji said cheerily, “We’re not going to be learning anymore! It’ll just be fun!”

  
“Guys, the freshman ceremony is happening at lunch.” Naruto said, “Should we head over and get a good look at the newbies?”

  
“They can’t be worse than the sophomores, that’s for sure.” Kiba snorted, “Man, and I thought _we_ were annoying.”

  
“Let’s go anyways.” Choji piped up, “We’ll probably see some other people we know.”

  
“Before we do that, we should probably claim our bunks before we get real sucky ones.” Shikamaru muttered. “But since we all arrived here a little earlier, I think we’ll still have good pickings.”

  
“Race Ya!” Kiba grinned, then sprinted off with Akamaru. The three others exchanged happy smiles and ran after the boy and his dog.

<><><><>

 **T** he door flung open and hit the opposite wall, causing the three people inside to look up, startled. The newcomers were all huffing and puffing, with a little sweat trickling on their foreheads. One of the seniors sighed, and carried on with polishing her carving knife, while another beamed and waved vigorously.

  
Milky eyes landed on each one, observing how they changed and matured. They all looked slightly older, faces more defined and bodies larger and stronger. Though, they still had the same childish expressions and attitudes. Nara glanced over and gave him a wave. He opened his mouth to reply back to the gesture, but his friend since middle school acted first.

“Ah, my youthful friends!” Lee shouted standing up from the couch and giving a thumbs up. “It is wonderful to see you all once more! You look energetic and prepared to win this year’s Cabin Tournament!”

  
“Damn right we are,” Inuzuka grinned, sitting down in the chair opposite of Lee’s. He turned and gave a wink at the only girl present in the room, who simply rolled her eyes, but still gave a smile at the junior.

“You look like you just got chased by a bear.” Tenten mused, glancing them all over. “What were you doing?”

“We wanted to claim our bunkers,” Choji explained, smiling. He turned to the two boys, “You saved some decent bunks for us?”

“There are 24 bunkers. There’s plenty of options for you.” Neji said, crossing his arms.

“There’s only 12 in the girls bunkers.” Tenten frowned, “I’m so lonely right now.”

“How long have you guys been here?” Shikamaru asked, noticing the tiredness in Neji and Tenten’s eyes.

“Lee insisted that we arrive here three hours early. We all live around six hours away.” Neji sighed, “You could imagine the lack of sleep we got today.”

“And Lee kept blasting _Veggie Tales_ songs because he thought he was being funny.” Tenten hissed. She frowned at Lee, “And that was very annoying, Lee.”

“My apologies, Tenten.” He said sheepishly to the pissed off brunette. “I was just reminiscing upon my childhood!”

_“At four in the morning?”_

Neji sighed, as Tenten continued to rant on about the ear-rape that was his ‘childhood.’ God, how did he end up with those two? The corner of his lip turned up when he saw Tenten put Lee in a headlock, as he laughed and the two began messing around.

The three of them had been together for so long that it was hard to remember times when they weren’t with each other. They had gone to the same school since childhood, meeting in preschool and instantly becoming best friends. While they were all childish and giddy, Lee made a vow that he would forever stay their best friend. Tenten and Neji quickly both vowed the same thing, and later on in years Lee stuck very strongly to that oath. They fought tooth and nail against their parents to go to the same schools, and worked harder to apply for the same colleges.

“Cut it out, you two.” Neji ordered, in his usual stern attitude. “Don’t break each other’s necks on the first day.”

  
“Don’t worry, Nej.” Tenten said with a soothing voice, contrast to her attempt to rip Lee’s limbs off. “No harm will come to either of us.”

Neji was about to give a sarcastic reply back, but the banter and ruckus caused by the juniors was too much to overpower.

“Dibs on top bunk!” Kiba yelled, then with Akamaru barking along side him, then the two sprinted to the boys dormitory area further in the cabin.

“Oh no you don’t!” Naruto grinned, “I’m top! Last year you and Akamaru caused me so much pain! I’ll do anything to get it this year, believe it!”

<><><><>

“Kiba, I’m top!”

“Be real, Naruto. I’m on the top!”

“You topped last time!”

  
“So? Why can’t I do it again?”

“Listen here _mutt_ , you belong on the bottom! That’s where dogs are supposed to be!”

“DID YOU JUST SAY THAT SHIT TO US?”

“YEAH, I DID _MUTT_!”

“THAT’S FUCKING RACIST!”

_“NO IT’S NOT—“_

_“YES IT IS!”_

Their bickering continued on, nonsense as usual. The very same scenario happened last year. Kiba and Akamaru double teamed Naruto, tackling him to the floor and then successfully claimed the top bunk, and now Naruto was back and ready for revenge.

“What a drag,” Shikamaru complained, eyes closed and looking up at the ceiling. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, then sighed. “There are what, 23 open set of bunk beds for them? It’s not necessary for them to share a bunk every year.”

“It’s their tradition, Shikamaru.” Choji explained, as he gazed through the door where Naruto was trying to pin Kiba down, while Akamaru was biting his leg. “One that they both seem to hate, though...”

“Come on, Choji. Let’s go find ours.” Shikamaru said, then the two calmer boys walked in, and for the sake of the three seniors in common room, shut the door behind them.

“Well, while our junior friends settle down, would you guys like to explore? I hear they renovated many things here! Perhaps the gym? Or the greenhouse?”

“You hoping to see that redhead there?” Tenten teased.

“What redhead?” Lee asked, attempting to be completely confused. Notice the word _attempted_. “I do not know of any redheads.”

“Oh, my mistake.” Tenten smirked. “I thought you knew a guy.” She left it at that, with a satisfied grin, then nodded. “How about we head to the lake? It’s close to the auditorium.”

“I am fine with that!” Lee agreed. “What about you, Neji?” The Hyūga merely shrugged indignantly.

  
“Alright, let’s go then.” Neji nodded and got up. The two other smiled and they hurried out the door.

<><><><>

The three seniors walked silently under the shade of the green trees. Neji enjoyed the silence, while Lee was almost dying from the lack of noise and Tenten admired the nature.

  
“Isn’t it lovely?” Tenten smiled, gently slinging her shoulders around her friends, “It’s so peaceful and soothing.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head on Neji’s shoulder, “I’m so glad to have you guys here!”

“We are too, Tenten!” Lee bounced happily, then followed suit with Tenten, leaning his head on her shoulder and pushing all their weight on the Hyūga, who grunted in response. “Our time here at this summer camp has been youthful and well spent! I believe this will be our greatest year here! We shall go out with a ‘bang’ as they say!”

“Speaking of that....” Tenten muttered. The two others fell silent to the tone of her voice. “What are we going to do next year?”

Neji paused, then spoke. “Well, I suppose we could become _counselors_..”

“And teach the next youthful generation! I like the idea!” Lee agreed.

“I don’t think you understand what I’m talking about.” Tenten said quietly. “I meant, concerning ah... the _dilemma_.” The two stopped in their tracks, Neji’s eyes looking crestfallen yet with a flawless white shine like the moon.

Tenten winced as she spoke. Neji had spoken over the phone to the both of them that his family was going through heartbreaking troubles. The Hyūga family was a big name around Japan, a very wealthy name. Apparently, his uncle had to attend a convention, and there was word that it could be dangerous. Neji’s father, his twin, took his uncle’s place as a safety precaution and got shot, as predicted. He now had to move in with his Uncle.

“I was so sorry to hear about that, Neji.” Lee said solemnly. “Your father was a good man.”

The Hyūga didn’t respond, but merely looked left to the lake beside them.

It hurt so much when Neji was like this. He was normally quite silent, but his silence was peaceful. His lack of speech now was more of a distress or remorse. The atmosphere had gotten very thick, though no one would admit it. Even the normally joyous road trip to the camp was somewhat awkward. Lee tried to make the car ride as lighthearted as possible, (probably the explanation for the childish songs,) but Neji just seemed distant.

“Neji...is there anything we can do to help you?” Lee asked. “I am sure I speak on behalf of Tenten, too. We are worried for you, and we do not want you to be sulking and miserable this whole summer.”

“Would you like some space?” Tenten offered, slightly wavering. She didn’t want to leave him alone, but she had to accept that it might help.

“It’s...fine. Thank you for your concern. Neji said stiffly. “But if you please, I think it’s best if I forget about that for a while and just enjoy the summer while it lasts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, this is my first story! I hoped you like the Prologue/First chapter. I intend for this story to be quite long, but I’m not sure if want to complete it. Leaving kudos would show me lots of support and encourage me to continue, but you totally don’t have to. I appreciate it so much that you read, so thanks!
> 
> Also: Who should Naruto end up with?  
> -Sauce gay Ewcheesehaw  
> -Sakeraw Hair-uno reverse (unlikely, but still)  
> -Heeyata Huge jaw


	2. Rule Two: Elect Your Leaders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kage Election takes place, stirring excitement into every teen.

“ **H** URRY GUYS!” Naruto yelled, “We’re gonna miss the ceremony!”

“Man, what a drag!” Shikamaru groaned as the four sprinted as fast as they could to the auditorium. “We’re always late to things like this because of your bickering!”

“Well Kiba was being a real snot today!” Naruto whined, “It’s not my fault!”

“That argument’s still not done, just so you know.” The dog lover snapped. “It’s on hold.”

Naruto was panting too hard didn’t have the energy to reply back, so he settled at giving a glare to the right where Kiba was running. Akamaru had one lousy owner.

“There, I see it!” Choji exclaimed, and his words encouraged everyone to speed up.

The auditorium was huge. A glass dome covered the top to shield everyone from the harsh sunlight, and there were seats circling all around one big stage that was seated low on ground. It was like an oval, almost. With spirals of chairs and people. It was like a small stadium planted underground.

There were also certain sections divided. Each Cabin had their own long row of seats for their cabin to sit together. Five flags stood proudly to mark where each cabin member should go. The red flag with the symbol of a leaf waved gallantly in the sky, a very relieving sight for most of them.

Kiba reached the auditorium first, (much to Naruto’s dismay,) with one final sigh and fell onto a bench near the back of the Konoha section, so they didn’t have to tread down any stairs. Akamaru gave Kiba a rewarding lick on the ear.The rest followed suite with him, smiling and huffing. They were only two minutes late.

The three friendly seniors sat in front of them. Neji had an unamused look on his face while Tenten’s eye was twitching. Lee just gave a golden boy smile.

“That’s a new record.” Tenten mused, her signature oh-great-these-are-my-cabinmates-aren’t-they. “This is the future of the Fire Cabin next year?”

“They’re doomed.” Neji affirmed.

“Who do you all think will be the Hokage this year?” Lee asked. “And who did you all vote for?” Naruto’s blood ran cold.

“Shit! We have to do that!” Naruto exclaimed. He tangled his hands in his hair in dismay, then turned to his three companions, who had calm faces.

“No.” Kiba snorted. “ _You_ have to. We already did it before you came.”

“I foresaw this happening.” Shikamaru shrugged, leaning back to look at the clouds. He reached into his pocket, then grabbed a small slip of white paper and a pen. “Here, write down your answer then go up on stage and put it in the ballet box.”

Shikamaru was literally the reason he didn’t fail high school.

It didn’t take Naruto more than a second to decide who to vote for. He knew he had no chance of being Hokage this year, no junior had ever been a Kage before. (he totally would be next year though) Still, he did want someone else to be it this year, for sure.

Each year, a new Hokage was elected to be the Cabin Leader. His father was actually one when he was a counselor. The thought made his heart hurt a bit, but shook off the feeling and replaced it with determination. He’d follow his father’s footsteps. But he knew that it wasn’t his time yet.

In sloppy handwriting, he quickly scribbled out the name _Kakashi Hatake_.

Kiba peeked over his shoulder and looked at the name with a glint of surprise in his eye. “You didn’t write yourself, huh?”

“Nah, next year I’ll become the Hokage and lead the cabin to a victory!” Naruto grinned.

Kiba huffed. “Dream on,” He said grinning, “I’m gonna be Hokage.” Akamaru barked as to agree. 

“Like our cabin would choose _dog-breath_ over me!”

“Do you wanna fucking go _again_?”

Naruto ignored him as he walked down to the stage to place his vote in the box, a satisfied grin on his face. He knew he’d look death in the eye when he walked back, so he made his trip to the box slow and leisurely. He got tired after walking halfway, already fatigued from running extremely hard to get to the auditorium. When he got back to his seat he could swear Kiba was literally about to rip him apart. Akamaru, too.

“Chill our guys!” Choji wailed. He opened his backpack and revealed three bags of chips. “Stop fighting and just eat this!” He threw them a pack, then one to Shikamaru and one to Neji. Choji glared at Kiba and Naruto. “ _Share_ it.”

Kiba grumbled and reluctantly placed the bag between him and Naruto. Food always cured arguments, one way or another.

Naruto grazed over the crowd to see if he saw some familiar faces. He laughed in a sort of happy, giddy way when he saw Sakura. He grumbled when he saw Sassy Urchin, hoping that he wouldn’t have came back this year. He smiled when he saw the same cabin counselors, Iruka Sensei, Kakashi Sensei, and a bunch of others. His eyes kept wandering back to the pinkette, who seemed to be laughing with some other girls.

Yeah, this would be for the year he’d ask her out.

A familiar face stepped onto the stage and instantly her presence demanded attention with her even asking for it. A former Hokage, and one scary woman. Her golden brown eyes pierced the crowd like they were missiles, observing every camper around her. Her assistant followed quietly behind her, then grabbed the voting box and walked back behind the stage.

“Who did you guys vote for?” Tenten whispered, turning around.

“Asuma Sensei!” Choji said, almost instantly. “He’s a great leader!”

“I have voted for Gai Sensei!” Lee announced loudly, and Tenten hit him on the head, chastising him for yelling it aloud.

“What about you guys?” Kiba asked, directed towards Neji and Shikamaru, the more practical ones of the group.

“I prefer not to say.” Neji said coolly, then turned back around to face the stage.

“I voted for Asuma as well.” Shikamaru shrugged. “He’s a chill guy, also pretty strategic. He’ll help gain us a lot of points.”

“I assume you voted for Kurenai?” Naruto asked, and Kiba gave a toothy grin and a nod.

“Ya, totally.” He confirmed, “She’s so good with fake-outs. She can juke the enemy cabins so easily! If she taught us all how to be that deceiving and sneaky, we could totally win, no sweat!”

“But at the same time, it’s not just vote counting into the selection.” Neji stated. “Remember, it’s also contributions to the cabin. The amount of points an individual contributes weighs in a lot.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m putting my money on Gai, Kakashi, Kurenai, or Asuma.” Shikamaru said. “They probably gave the most points last year.”

“Afternoon everyone!” The voice was replied with many shouts and cheers from the crowd. She smiled, crossing her arms. “Welcome to Camp Kage. If you don’t already know me, I’m Tsunade. I prefer you call me ‘Lady’ Tsunade.”

Naruto rolled his eyes, “More like Gramma Tsunade if you ask me.” Tenten turned around to give him a disapproving slap. “Ow!”

“This used to be my grandfather’s camp, and now I own it. I also used to be a former camper and counselor. I organize a lot of the program here, so feel free to ask me any questions. Well, ask Shizune first.”

“My cousin will be joining this year,” Neji mused, talking more to himself than anyone else.

  
“Huh? Hinata’s already here!” Naruto exclaimed.

“No, you idiot.” Tenten sighed, “Hanabi. Hinata’s little sister.”

“She any good?” Kiba asked.

“Better than Hinata.” Neji said disapprovingly. Hinata and Neji had some sort of unresolved tension. Naruto honestly didn’t know how that could happen, being Hinata didn’t talk at all! At least, not to him. She only stuttered and always acted like she was sick or something.

“Hey!” Kiba barked, “Hinata’s awesome! She’s just a little shy!”

“Don’t butt your head into things that do not concern you, Inuzuka.” Neji spat back coldly. The dog lover opened his mouth as to snap back, but closed his mouth in defeat. He settled on shooting daggers at the back of the Hyūga’s head.

“Anyways, as tradition, I’d like all incoming incoming freshmen to stand.” Tsunade instructed. It took a moment or so for the command to be followed through. Most of the freshmen were all in clumps together, too afraid to be on their own at the very start. They didn’t look too interesting, so Naruto barely paid attention.

“I’d like you one by one to come down to the stage when I call your name.” Tsunade announced, “Once you do, stand proudly and I will call out the name of your new cabin.”

“First up! Matsuri..”

A couple decent looking kids had been drafted into Konoha. Funny, a kid’s name was actually named Konoha. Man, he might get picked on. Neji’s cousin was also in Konoha, which Neji seemed secretly pleased about. Naruto knew about Neji and Hinata’s swollen past, but he didn’t know the feelings Neji had for the youngest sister that frankly, he didn’t know existed.

Now it was the time everyone was anticipating. The selection of the Kages.

When Shizune returned from inside the stage with five little envelopes, everyone cheered.

“First we’ll be announcing the Mizukage!” Tsunade announced, and the cabin decorated with blues erupted in more cheers. Shizune quickly hurried over to the middle of the stage and opened the envelope like it was the name of a winner for an awards show.

“Chojuro!” She announced, and the cabin yelled louder as the blue haired boy jogged down to the stage.

Naruto didn’t really care, nor did any of his other cabin mates seem to either. They were all awaiting their leader.

For the Raikage, a very built counselor named A was chosen. He was the Raikage last year and the year before, and led the house to pull off a surprising win two years ago. (Though the Wind Cabin won last year) The Fire Cabin was determined to crush both of them this year, though.

The Tsuchikage became a girl named Kurotsuchi, a pretty senior who was tough and delighted to become the leader. She raced down eagerly and claimed the title.

“The title of Kazekage goes to...” Shizune opened the envelope to reveal a name. She lifted the note in the air and shouted, “Gaara!”

Everyone was silent for a moment, then the Wind Cabin began cheering, distinctly louder than some of the other cabins.

“Him?” Kiba demanded, “He’s what? A junior! That’s not possible!”

“Technically, it is.” Neji argued, “He’s a candidate, as anyone here is.”

“But—no one has ever done that before!”

“People would vote for him?” Tenten asked, frowning. They all watched the redhead walk down to the stage. “But he’s...kinda weird.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that? I don’t see him having any friends either.” Kiba snorted. “No way!”

“He contributed a lot to their Cabin last year.” Shikamaru objected, “Remember how he gained like, more than half of their points? He ultimately led the cabin to the win. ”

“That’s true,” Naruto agreed, “But no way we’re letting them win this year!”

After Gaara had taken his seat, the Tsunade cleared her throat. “Ahem, and now for the title of the Hoka—“

Before she could finish, everyone in said cabin was yelling out. Mostly the juniors and seniors, who were more invested in it than anyone else. It was noticeably the loudest, far louder than the wind cabin.

Tsunade sighed, and in a bored and mumbling voice, spoke: “The Hokage for this year is Kakashi Hatake.”

Naruto’s face lit up in ecstasy. If anyone deserved that title, he did. At the top of his lungs, he screamed and cheered happily. The silver haired male got up from his seat, a couple seats down from Naruto, while all his co-counselors praised and patted him on the back.

“Kakashi! Kakashi!” Everyone began screaming. Even some of the other cabins joined in. Soon a chorus of said name erupted in the whole auditorium. Though everyone was cheering him on, the Hatake seemed indifferent, his eyes fixed on a small orange book as he walked down.

The fire cabin was notorious for their magnetism of loud knuckleheads and dummies. Getting Shikamaru and Neji was a lucky break, but it seemed that everyone else was just...special. Exuberant, one brain-celled idiots. Everyone loved to call Naruto Uzumaki the ‘prime example’. (which he took pride in)

The cheers soon faded off, and Kakashi returned back to his seat. He received another round of pats on the backs and ruffles in his striking silver hair.

Naruto grinned. That lax, closet pervert of a Sensei was going to be the Hokage. He would probably be two hours late to every event, and probably mess with all the kids, and seemingly not care about anyone but deep down he totally did care.

But Naruto wouldn’t want it any other way.

So with one more big inhale, he gave one more loud cheer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, two chapters in one day! I hope you liked this chapter as well! This chapter is a little short, but that’s just because the next one will have a lot to do with friendship/maybe relationship between Sasuke and Naruto. 
> 
> Leave kudos! Thanks <3


	3. Rule Three: Never Leave A Friend Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone splits up, so Naruto has some time to kill. He heads to the lake, where he’s certain he’ll find a lost friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun with the angsty angst ;P

After the Kage Elections, Tsunade made a couple more announcements and explanations to the freshmen, or new incoming sophomores, juniors, and seniors. No one really paid much attention, and once she was finished everyone was itching to get out of their seats.

Everyone slowly dispersed from the auditorium, mostly in packs of four or more. The first challenge wouldn't begin until 4:00, so there was some time to kill.

They all split up. Kiba went to go find Shino and Hinata, Shikamaru decided to go watch some more clouds with Choji, Lee and Neji went to the gym, and Tenten decided to go finally hang with some girls for once.

So, Naruto was alone.

There wasn’t much to do, since all of his friends were occupied. In the end Naruto decided to take a walk around the lake. Many, many times before it was his safe haven where he let out his frustration. It was like Shikamaru’s and Choji’s hangout spot; peaceful and meant for only two best friends.

Well, past best friends.

Naruto was a little reluctant about heading to the spot. He knew he would be there. But still, what was the worst that could happen?

He continued his happy stride, with his hands loosely swinging and an unbreakable grin plastered on his face. The lake was in his view, along with the standalone small island in the center of the lake. More and more details came into view; like the small daisies growing by the banks, and the overgrown weeds and grass pouring over in the lake water.

Along the side, he saw various canoes lined up. All those times he tipped the boat over came flourishing back into his mind. He grinned at the thought. To the left of the continues laid the dock.

And on the dock was the raven headed loner.

They hadn’t talked one on one since the end of middle school. When Sasuke began to slowly drift away until he was nothing but a bittersweet memory.

Naruto wanted to make this a memorable year. Hell, he made a mental checklist. He had three goals, and three goals only.

1). Get a date with Sakura

2). Win the Cabin Tournament

3). Start over with Sasuke

They were all three big goals, but Naruto was determined. He was ready to work hard and do everything he could to make those reality. Most importantly, the third one.

Man, he missed Sasuke so much. Sometimes, the thought of him haunted his dreams. His subconscious mind played games with his idea of reality. He had so many good dreams, with two little boys running in fields and playing their favorite game called Ninja or when they snuck out without their mother’s consent and ran all the way to the park.

So many fake encounters with Sasuke, he didn’t know what was an actual memory anymore.

That’s why it was his prime goal that this year. He’d make more memories so he didn’t have to fill the void with plastic illusions.

Naruto made up his mind, and went up right to the Uchiha.

“Hey, Teme.”

The raven haired boy didn’t respond. He let his feet dangle inches above the water, his eyes fixed on the lonely island surrounded by glossy waves and happy green giants.

Naruto gave him the liberty of sitting right next to Sasuke. He didn’t even flinch, even when they brushed shoulders.

“Come on, Teme. Can’t we just talk?”

Those dark eyes showed no emotion. Just a deep pit of solitude and monotony. Naruto was determined to see those sad eyes light up in excitement, or see little tears at the sides of them as he and Naruto bellowed out in laughter, falling on their backs and just seemingly couldn’t stop giggling. Like old times.

Sasuke just didn’t seem to care. He let Naruto’s eyes bore into his, but he never returned the glance. His eyes stayed glued at that little island.

“God _dammit_ Sasuke just talk to me!”

When Sasuke still didn’t respond, Naruto was mad. He was mad because Sasuke always treated him like that. Like he was so cool and so much more superior than him, that he couldn’t even fucking say hi.

He had so many boiled up emotions for Sasuke. Part of him wanted to just tackle him in a hug and shout, _‘Let’s just be friends again!’_ But he ego stood firmly in front of that idea. Sasuke treated him like shit for the past years, he didn’t deserve that kind of forgiveness.

Fury consumed the kindness like a flame to a forest. Sasuke still didn’t care. He didn’t even spare a glance.

“JUST LOOK AT ME!” He yelled. “Why can’t you just acknowledge me?”

The fucking bastard still said _nothing_.

Naruto was done. He just wanted his friend back, but clearly the feeling wasn’t mutual.

**_Whack!_ **

He didn’t know what overtook him to do that. But all that hurt he went through losing his best friend bottled up like chakra and all accumulated in a shaking fist. He didn’t regret hitting him. 

Finally, Sasuke looked at him. No, he looked _through_ him. He stared through into his ocean eyes and straight to the trees behind him. Was Naruto some kind of _ghost_ to him? It only angered him more.

“You’re my _friend_ , Sasuke.” Naruto croaked, face daring to break in hurt, “Why can’t you just treat me like I’m yours too?”

“I thought I made my point perfectly clear.”

He finally spoke. But his words were harsh and like a cold rush of wind. “That we **aren’t** friends.”

They definitely were, though. Best of friends. They had a stronger, deeper friendship than anyone here. The had a past, a dark path and they trudged through it together. They shared pain. Where did it all go wrong, though. Naruto wondered that on the daily, whenever he saw the Uchiha’s face. Why did they start drifting away..?

And since when did Sasuke get so cold? That part was blurry in Naruto’s head. His mind was always so focused on remembering the good and forgetting the bad.

He remembered snippets of the past. When Sasuke just turned fourteen. Naruto vividly recalled the broken voice when Sasuke yelled at him with tears daring to form in his eyes. They fought, right here, on the dock. And Sasuke pushed him off. That may have been the start of it, but there were many, many more bad memories that Naruto didn’t want to remember.

“Then what are you doing, still sitting around in _OUR_ spot?” Naruto seethed, “Look me straight and the eye and tell me you want me to go, to stop trying. I’ll go.”

And he did. He wasn’t looking through the blond boy anymore. Straight at him.

“ **Go**.”

He didn’t really think Sasuke would say it. But he did. And now he had to go.

So he got up from his seat on the dock, a single tear falling on the wood below him. The dock that they spent countless hours building and repairing together.

He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to leave Sasuke in that pit of loneliness, but he had to.

Because Naruto never went back on his word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oOoooOoOoOh what happened in their past? I’ll get into more detail of that later on. I really enjoy the friendship between Sasuke and Naruto. Sorry that it was pretty short, but there was not much plot in this, jut relationship centric. Well, thanks for reading! Leave kudos, that’d be appreciated. <3
> 
> Oh, yes before I forget. I think I want Sakura to end with someone, since I feel like she deserves some happiness too. She’ll have to deal with two idiots later on, and it’s gotta drain her. 
> 
> So, any ideas of who y’all think she should be with? I doubt Sasuke, it’s more of just a crush because he’s pretty. She deserves someone who appreciates her, in my opinion. So...I’m not sure??


	4. Rule Four: No Friendly Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all teammates are friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one’s VERY short. But in my defense, I’ve whipped out two chapters a day so far, even with school. Haha, it’s a little sad but key for further development.

  
“Are you _ever_ going to talk to him?” Kiba teases, elbowing the raven haired girl. She turned flustered, and pushed him aside.

“No...” Hinata muttered, “I don’t know how I would tell him—“

“Oh! Hey Naruto!”

The girl froze up. Just the mere mention of his name was enough to get her red. With reflexes faster than a bug’s, she whirled around to look where Kiba was waving. No one was there.

“K-Kiba!” She stuttered angrily. “Don’t do that!”

The dog lover chuckled, “It’s fun to mess with ya!”

Shino sat by silently, while the two more talkative ones bickered. Though, it wasn’t much of a bickering. Hinata was too sweet to ever try and argue.

The three friends sat in the table in the back corner of the Mess Hall. Oh, plus Akamaru on his leash, hidden under the table as Kiba casually stuck his hand under to feed him. They were all starving since the freshmen ceremony and the Kage elections, so like normal humans they went to go grab a bite.

The Mess Hall was pretty quiet. They waited until the rush was over, and ate in the later hours to avoid traffic and being squished next to some strangers.   
  


Hinata was like a little sister to them. They were supportive and wanted the best for her. So naturally, they egged her on and teased her about Naruto, her crush since elementary school. When she told them about it, Kiba couldn’t believe she fell for that idiot, while Shino noticed the obvious signs and acted to be surprised for the sake of Hinata.

“Man, Hinata if you don’t ask him he’ll go find someone else and before you know it your chance is gone.” Kiba urged, with a mouth full of salad, “I mean, he’s gotten decently hot, not as hot as me, but there’s tons of thirsty girls and guys out there, ya ‘know?”

“I-It’s not that easy.” Hinata retaliated, a blushing mess already. To avoid eye contact, she stabbed the fruit on her plate and moved it around in circles.

“Pshh, yeah it is.” Kiba replied, slinging his arms around her, “Fact, it’s SO EASY. Especially when you’re that pretty. Naruto’s a thickheaded idiot if he doesn’t see it.”

She smiled at the compliment. “Thanks, Kiba.”

“Here, watch,” Kiba offered, “I’ll show ya how it’s done. Let’s see, random chic...hm.” He looked around, and saw a couple girls laughing and chatting at a nearby table. His eyes landed on a blonde girl. “Bingo. That blonde girl is my demonstration, Kay?”

“Kiba!” She said furiously, “You can’t just proclaim fake feelings for a girl!”

“It’s cool, Hinata. I’m just showing you how it’s done!”

_You know nothing about women_. She sighed, “No, Kiba. It’s fine.”

Kiba was about to argue, but Shino placed his hand on the brunette’s shoulder.

“She’s right, Kiba. You can’t be that ruthless.”

He snorted, “Ruthless my ass. _You’re_ the one that put that fake spider on my bed at that one sleepover—“

“Fake? No, no, that black widow was live and well.”

Kiba tensed up, his eyes wide. “It was _real?!”_

Shino said nothing more, as Kiba began yelling and shoving Shino. He wasn’t very bothered by it, and mostly ignored Kiba’s nonsense, as usual. He ate his food in content, his dark glasses covering the amusement in his eyes.

“Hey Hina is that your sister?” Kiba asked, pointing to a girl with similar pale eyes that just entered the hall.

“That is!” She cried, “I haven’t got to say hello since the ceremony. I should go and talk with her—“ she hurried to get up out of her seat, until Shino grabbed her arm.

“Wait. I don’t think you need to, look.” Shino pointed out.

Right behind Hanabi came another long, silky haired Hyuga. He had his hand on her shoulder, smiling down at the young girl as she laughed.

Hinata lowered her head, then slid back into her seat next to the two boys. Kiba rubbed her back soothingly, while shooting daggers at Neji.

They were more like cousins to her than that bastard ever could hope to be.

Shino narrowed his eyes at the Senior. He respected Neji’s brilliance and strength; he was also practical and well mannered. Most people would call him a gentleman. And in truth, he was.

To everyone _except_ Hinata.

And for that he could not forgive. Hinata was such a sweet person, a best friend since youth. Hinata never truly got into the details as to why the other Hyuga despised her so much, but he had many, many theories. One, (and Kiba’s favorite) was that Neji was just an overall bitchy person, but Shino doubted that. Today proved his point. He was being very kind to Hanabi, so it had to be something that Hinata did that offended him personally.

But that was the problem. What could Hinata do? It wasn’t in her nature to be unkind. There was no way she did something unintentionally and for it to drag out this long.

“Ugh, I can’t stand him.” Kiba growled, “It’s so hard not to snapwhen I’m around the guy. I only hold my tongue for everyone else’s sake! But right now I’m ready to kick his ass!”

“It’s fine, Kiba.” Hinata said, sorrow filling her voice. “Can we just go, though?”

“Yeah, I’m full anyways.” Kiba agreed. He wasn’t full, at all. He was quite hungry, but he’d rather starve than look at that Hyuga one more time.

The four of them rose from their seats, silently passing the two Hyuga’s and getting a small snippet of their conversation.

“You’re a natural, Hanabi. I see great fortune ahead for you. You have a talent that your sister couldn’t ever _wish_ to have. Keep working hard, and I’m sure...”

If Kiba had a gun, he would’ve pulled the trigger and shot it at Neji’s head with no regrets. Even Akamaru could feel the tension, and gave a low growl as they passedhim. Neji didn’t even notice, still praising the younger Hyuga.

Kiba held on tightly to the Hinata, and with his other hand raised in the air, he pointed one finger at Neji Hyuga.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Four chapters! I’m surprised I managed to write this much in the span of such a short time. Sorry for the short chapter! Leave kudos! <3 love you all, thanks for reading!
> 
> And don’t worry, Neji’s not a bastard. Loss does something to you, so you can’t blame the guy!


	5. Rule Five: Always Stay Alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the games begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh sorry for taking so long. I made so many chapters so quickly because of Memorial Day, but now since I was back with school I had a lot of work. I don’t have finals, but still my teachers are bombarding me with homework and tests. I love them though, (you all should try to appreciate your teachers, even the sucky ones!) 
> 
> I don’t know if I’ll be able to upload once every day, but I’ll try to get in at least one. I’m sure things will change once summer hits! (If you want to know, that’s in 2 weeks for me!)

  
At 4:00 o’clock, everyone was gathered in the auditorium once more to announce the first games, and Kankuro could care less.

He didn’t feel like participating in some shitty children’s game to earn points towards some shitty tournament with a shitty trophy that he didn’t give a shit about. So naturally, he decided to take a nap while the rules were being told.

He had a nice dream, it didn’t make much sense but he remember the overall feeling of the dream was pleasant and fun.

He awoke when a powerful gust of wind was blown against his face. When he regained consciousness, Temari was snickering at him and poked him on the cheek.

“Get up, asshole. We’re going.” Temari ordered, “Gaara already left to do some Kage stuff.”

“I thought we were suppose to do some activity?” Kankuro asked, though it didn’t really matter to him. Easier that way.

“Yeah, we are. They’re separate challenges. Freshmen from each cabin are doing challenges by themselves, same with sophomores and so on. Get you lazy ass up and go contribute to our cabin.”

“Well what about you?” He snapped back grumpily. He didn’t get much sleep, and he didn’t feel like running around and losing his dignity.

“I’m a counselor, I do whatever the hell I want to.” She smirked, then whacked him on the head with her fan. “You better get going. I gotta go supervise those damn sophomores...”

She left at that, and the two siblings parted ways. Well this was great. Temari gave him no information on where he was suppose to go or what he was even suppose to do. He could’ve ask someone, but he didn’t feel like it.

He had friends, but most of them were annoying as hell. He preferred hanging out with his siblings, especially screwing with Gaara. Getting on that kid’s nerves was one of his favorite hobbies.

Before, around a year ago, he would’ve never thought he could do that. Gaara was a scary kid, and some people still recognized him as that. He was awfully sadistic, and Kankuro liked to call him a psychotic brat. They were bad times, ones that no one liked to speak of. He didn’t want to think in death about it.

He decided to think of the present, which was filled with surprises and fun. Like, he and both his siblings finally got along. They were closer than ever, to the point where a Kankuro could call Gaara a ‘little shit’ without Gaara threatening to kill him! Another good thing was Gaara’s election as the Kage.

Kankuro was surprised beyond measure, but happy no less. Yes, he was very happy for him, oh but also happy for himself. Gaara’s status as the leader gave him so many privileges which Kankuro intended to abuse.

He chuckled lightly at the thought, as he wandered around to see if he could find some people he recognized. He was definitely late and he might get in trouble from Baki later, but he didn’t think too far into the future.

Kankuro strolled around a little longer before seeing tiny figures accumulated in the open grassy fields. He groaned. His free time was over.

It was too hot for this. Perhaps he should’ve thought twice before putting on a completely black sweatshirt and jeans. He straightened his also black baseball cap, and walked over to the rest of the seniors.

Man, this was gonna suck.

<><><><>

Sasuke sat in the second row to the back, arms crossed coldly and eyes sharp. He was in a bad mood, and frankly, his cheek still burned painfully.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at the blond boy who he _absolutely_ knew was looking at him. He wasn’t ready to face him, or accept the fact that Naruto still wanted to be his friend. He didn’t have time for friends, though. That was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

In this life, all Sasuke could have was sorrow and solitude. That’s all he deserved, and he was fine with that. Everything that happened was his fault.

He tried to shake the haunting thought.

All that _**blood**_.

Sasuke was good at hiding his emotions under a cold demeanor. His attractive looks helped play it off well too. Soon enough, he found it easy to bury his suffering deeper in his chest to the point where he just felt _numb_.

“Alright, juniors.” Kakashi said, looking down at his paper. “The first challenge is going to be a simple game of Survival, which you already know. Mmm, yada yada last one standing wins, so on good luck that’s all.”

Sasuke grunted. This was the same game that he played last year. The Suna cabin started off with a win, since the seniors and the juniors and sophomores managed to get a win in their division. Overall, Sasuke didn’t really care about some tournament, but...

No. He didn’t care what the Dobe wanted. It was his problem.

Since Kakashi did an awful explanation of the rules, here. The goal of the game was to stay hidden and sneak all the way to the safe zone. It started off with the counselors searching for the kids, then as people got found they would join to search. It was a game of stealth, something that Sasuke was personally pretty good at. Anything goes, except for sabotaging teammates. Those who get out early can’t expose cabin mates that are still in the game.

Last year, eight people managed to make it to the safe point for sophomores. He didn’t pay much attention to anyone, but he remembered a few. Gaara, who impressively managed to sneak through everyone in under ten minutes, a boy named Shino Aburame, and himself. Having two people make it from Konoha, they gained 100 points. Fifty for each kid. Sasuke was certain their cabin could do better.

“You know where the safe zone is, so begin. Scatter.” Kakashi said, and everyone began disappearing in the woods.

<><><><>

Sasuke was well hidden, and slowly making his way to the zone. He didn’t really care, but he had to prove his strength. He wouldn’t let that Suna kid one up him like last time.

Currently, the Uchiha was hidden amongst the trees. He climbed high up to get a good view of how much more distance he had to travel.

To his right, he heard a yell and multiple barks. He whipped his head, and saw a white dog pouncing on a counselor. A couple friends more came running to help, while a sly brunette snuck past them. He was slightly impressed with the tactics the Inuzuka used. He was guaranteed 50 points.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blur of orange. The worst color to be wearing when trying to be stealthy. He stuck out like a sore thumb! Sasuke scowled looking down at the blond.

From his superior height, Sasuke saw what looked liked a junior from Kumo coming close to Naruto. He tried convincing himself that the reason for his next action was because he didn’t want to lose fifty points, (but let’s be honest Sauce Gay)

Without anymore thinking, he threw a stick right behind the approaching Kumo kid, and it fell into the bushes with a large rustle, startling the boy. Sasuke then threw a stick at Naruto’s head with incredible accuracy, causing the blond boy to visibly jump, then he quietly started escaping from his awful hiding spot. He didn’t know who aided him and looked around the area for his helper.

Sasuke then declined from his tree and snuck away.

<><><><>

Neji was very, _very_ bored.

He had made it to the safe zone before the first hour. Now he had to wait for an hour longer. He found it ridiculous that the game dragged on this long. He was with a couple others, around ten.

“I’m surprised Lee isn’t here yet,” Neji muttered. Lee was loud, but he had impressive speed, and he could be stealthy when he wanted to. Besides, Lee usually wore all green. _Every day._

“I assume he’s just out there to have fun.” Piped up his current companion. He hummed, “Got any threes, Neji?”

The two seniors sat on the ground, criss-crossed with a deck of cards sitting between them. Neji scowled, then reluctantly handed said card to the boy from Kiri. He hummed in delight once more. “Do you have any Queens?”

Neji smiled triumphantly, “No. Go fish, Haku.”

The boy sighed, then grabbed a card from the pile. Neji looked down at his own cards, wondering what card to ask for.

“Do you have a Jack?” He inquired, while Haku sighed once more, then handed him the card. Neji hummed as to mimick the boy in a playful manner, then asked again. “What about a two?”

“Go fish.”

After thirty-four minutes of playing cards, the boys got bored. They had played almost every game they could think of, both evenly matched in skill.

Neji didn’t talk with Haku much since they were from different cabins, but they fit perfectly. They had similar interests, shared somewhat of the same humor, and both were mellow. They had relaxing conversations, not with people shouting every five seconds about ‘Youth’. Neji enjoyed that.

“Ah, I know what we should do now!” Haku beamed, then he clapped his hands in delight. “How about we do each other’s hair?”

Neji was a little startled at the offer, but after consideration he too found the idea pleasing. He nodded, “Alright.”

“Let me go first, I have a great idea.” Haku said, and after an affirmation from Neji, he walked behind Neji and sat down, already beginning to play with his hair.

He took out the hair tie Neji had used to keep all his long hair from spiraling everywhere. Haku made a noise of enjoyment, as he took the silky brown locks and began his work.

“My, Neji you’ve got incredible hair. Nice volume and it’s very healthy. I envy you.”

Neji would never admit it, but _heavens_ he loved this so much. He loved the feeling of someone playing with his hair. It was soothing, and even more he had a guilty pleasure of doing hairstyles. He never would wear those styles in public, god Lee would laugh way too much. But he liked to sit in front of the mirror and see what he could do once in a while.

He felt like a teenage girl getting ready for homecoming, but there was barely anyone here, and Haku seemed just as happy as him, so it made him feel comfortable.He could tell Haku was doing something with braids, but also letting lots of his hair fall down. Neji was actually very excited to see how he looked in the end. 

He was glad Haku couldn’t see his face right now, because he was smiling like a complete idiot. He never had this much fun since... _things changed_.

He bit his lip, and tried to focus back on the fun he was having. He didn’t need to ruin everything with just that one stupid thought.

“Done!” Haku exclaimed, then glided his hands down the chocolate locks one more time. Haku whipped out his phone and snapped a photo, then waved it gently in front of Neji’s face.

Damn he was _pretty_.

“It’s incredibly well done,” Neji said, slowly tracing his hand on the braids and weaves, having extra care to make sure he didn’t ruin anything. The top hairs were pulled forward to form a braid, with the tiny hairs hanging gently on his forehead, and various weaves and curls braided together going down his back. The rest of his hair laid peacefully under all the fanciness and still gave of his classic Neji-sparkle.

“Your turn,” he said. Neji got behind Haku, whipping out a couple spare hair ties he had on him. He already had a great plan as to what he’d do with Haku’s hair.“Mind if I take out your bun?”

Haku nodded with a smile on his face, then sat up straight. “Do whatever you want, as long as it’s nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading all you lovelies! All the people who have commented, it really, really makes my day. I love going on here and seeing comments! I literally squeal. Hope you all are safe during this time and not getting too bored. 
> 
> Also, I just thought I should put it out there. I know quarantine is pretty rough for everyone, but if you ever need anything, I can totally pray for you! Or like, (if you aren’t religious and stuff, which is totally cool!) and you’re feeling really down I can make a one shot for you if it makes you feel better! (It may take time, but I’ll try!) hope you all are doing okay!
> 
> Oh, and I pROMIsE you, the next chapter will have some good ‘ol fluff! No more angst...for now. I’m very happy that some people enjoy this.
> 
> Also, I’m new, so just wondering: what is a hit? It said around 100, so I’m not sure. I know what a kudo is, that’s like a vote, right? Oh, and what does subscribe mean? Does that mean like it’s bookmarked? Haha, I feel like an idiot.
> 
> Once again, thanks for reading! Love you all!


	6. Rule Six: NEVER Fall For The Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cough, cough. I’m looking at you, Lee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is me basically just throwing gay people and fluff right at you.

Tenten and Lee were absolute _children_. Tenten hated to admit it, but Lee was really beginning to rub off on her.

They were crouched under a tall bush, giggling uncontrollably. They had already pranked a couple kids and counselors, and they intended on doing it to more.

“Let’s get up in the trees again!” Tenten whispered. Lee cackled, then went along with her.

They were honestly high on having fun. Tenten always kept her carving knife with her, so they continued to make wooden blades and spears to throw at passerby’s. They scared the crap out of this one guy named Ebisu.

  
“Over there!” Tenten said through laughs, “Let’s do it to that kid!”

Their unfortunate target was a long haired female, with two bright yellow pigtails. Lee nodded, and grinned.

“How much do you think the lady will scream?” Lee asked, trying to suppress more snorts and laughs. “I say, 7.”

“7? She seems more like a 9 to me. One way to find out.”

Perfectly in sync, Lee and Tenten threw their wooden creations straight at the girls feet. Instantly, she screamed her lungs out, giving the two pranksters a wealthy opportunity to let out all their laughs. They saw a counselor run over and officially pull her out of the game, but the girl was still screaming.

Tenten laughed out too hard, and they heard people rushing over to where they were.

“Lee!” She cried in a hushed voice, “We gotta go!” She tried to suppress more giggles, but failed due to Lee’s continuous snorts. He complied, and the two stumbled away laughing.

They were way too athletic for anyone to catch them, so why not have some fun?

The two sprinted straight into the safe zone, wobbly and instantly falling on the floor laughing when they reached it. They made some kid wet themselves and it was too much for them to take.

“Are you two on _crack_?”

Tenten looked up to see Neji standing above them, with his face of disapproval. Looking at him only made her laugh harder. She was already in that state of where she couldn’t stop laughing, and Neji looked like a princess.

“Sorry, Neji.” She snickered, “It’s just—“

“I think you mean, _Your Highness_!” Lee exclaimed, howling with laughter. Tenten giggled along with him, kicking their legs up as they rolled around on the ground in amusement.

Neji seemed overall unfazed. He crossed his arms and shook his head, the pretty style of his hair flowing with him. “I expected this from _Lee_ , but not you Tenten.” He scowled, “What’s gotten into you? It’s only been the first day.”

“Tenten is enjoying the springtime of youth!” Lee announced, pulling the girl into a playful headlock, “She has embraced good natured fun!”

“Yeah Nej,” Tenten agreed, “Try enjoying yourself! It’ll help brighten your mood.”

“Frankly, I have been.” Neji smirked then did a hair flip, and he honestly looked to good to be true. (Oh wait, he’s an anime character. That explains it.)

Tenten smiled at Neji’s laxness. She’d never admit it, but that hairstyle was really cute on him. Girly or not, that Hyūga could pull it off. At least her friend was having fun.  
  


“The game’s done, _finally._ ” Neji announced, “So shall we go eat?”

“Yosh!” Lee exclaimed, “I am quite starved after all that climbing and running we did!”

Neji waved goodbye to Haku, who looked just as fabulous as he himself did. They both agreed to meet up more often, and with that Haku left back for his cabin and the three athletes raced off for dinner.

<><><><>

“HAHA!” Naruto yelled out proudly. “I WON! WHOO HOO!”

Kiba rolled his eyes, then squatted down to pet his dog. “So did a lot of us. Good boy, Akamaru. You really helped out there.” The dog jumped up to hug his owner and give sloppy kisses on the cheek.

“Someone was following me the whole time!” Naruto went on, “Like, when there were people nearby a stick would fly at me to warn! Was that any of you guys? Man, I was totally screwed this one time but my ass got saved by someone!”

_Hinata?_ Kiba wondered. He decided to keep quiet. If she wanted to be anonymous, then that was her choice. He sighed; she’d never confess her feelings, would she...

“With all that orange I thought you’d have been long gone.” Shikamaru noted.

Shikamaru didn’t make it to the end and neither did Choji. The Nara was too lazy to run, and gave up instantly at the first sign of someone spotting him. Choji was a little too loud and made too much rustling, and ended up getting caught by his own teacher, Asuma.

“So, five people?” Naruto asked. “Me, Kiba, Shino, Sakura, and uh...Sasuke. Haha! That’s good!”

“You have to take into an account of what the other cabins got.” Shino pointed out. “From the looks of it, Suna had three, but Gaara was the first one to get here. That means they get extra points. And Kiri had six. Iwa and Kumo got four, so we’re in the mediocre.”

“How much bonus points for first?” Kiba asked.

“....75.”

“ _What_?” Choji asked, “Thats so much for a bonus!”

“Yeah, but that’s only because we’re juniors now.” Shikamaru explained, “Last year it was worth 50. The first senior gets 100 extra.”

“Who do you think got it?”

“I’m sure Lee can pull it off.” Shino nodded, “It’s safe to say he’s the most athletic person in the entire camp, and most definitely the fastest.”

“And even if he fails, we’ve still got Neji.” Shikamaru added, “The guy’s smart and tactical. He cares about winning too.”

“Well, they can tell us when we see them again.” Kiba said, “I’m sure they’ve gone to go eat.”

“Yeah, I’m starved too. I didn’t eat lunch—!” Naruto agreed. He stopped in his tracks, his head looked down in contemplation.

The group of boys stopped as well to see what got Naruto so fazed.

“Naruto..?” Kiba began, “You Oka—“

“I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT ICHIRAKU RAMEN!!!” Naruto screamed, his face lighting up like the night sky, “HOLY CRAP, TEUCHI’S AT THE MESS HALL! WE GOTTA GO GUYS!”

Without another word, the blond sprinted off, causing all his friends to scream and run after him in annoyance.

The Mess Hall was just as packed as Lee remembered it to be; possibly ever more busier. He recognized mostly everyone (he didn’t know their names, but he was good with faces) and was as courteous as possible when trying to squeeze through everyone to get to his friends.

Neji had disappeared to go save a table large enough for their whole group, so Lee decided he’d get Neji’s tray for him, as well as his own. Tenten had the privilege of getting her food first, since she was female and it was a rule that all women got their trays first.

Neji liked soba noodles a lot, so Lee decided to stand in the line and wait for that first. He sympathized with his friend greatly. After the loss of his father Neji always claimed he was ‘busy’ and pushed himself farther away from himself and Tenten. This was the first time they had met up since school ended.

Lee found the noodles not too great, but it was Neji’s own preference. He enjoyed spicy curry, which the Hyuga’s poor tongue couldn’t take.

He beamed. He hadn’t seen Sanshō or Karashi or Ranmaru in such a long time! They were such lovely people, and made even more lovelier curry! He ran in place in excitement.

Once he finally got all he thought Neji would enjoy, he turned on his heel to head towards the kitchen counter where he knew the little curry station was set.

“Lee! There you are!” A hand tugged on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around to see the smiling face of Tenten. She tilted her head over, “Everyone’s sitting over there, by the corner. I’ll save you a spot next to Neji and I,”

“Okay, I will grab my curry and a refreshment then head on over!” He declared loudly. Tenten gave a sigh but smiled nonetheless.

“Must you always be so energetic?” She asked. “Here, I’ll take Neji’s tray over so you don’t have too much to carry, kay?”

“You are such a compassionate person!” He said, his face lighting up in joy. “I am a very blessed person to have you as my friend.”

“It’s not a big deal, Lee.” She said, a tinted blush on her face from the compliment. “But yeah, you’re welcome.” She took the tray and they walked away from each other.

Lee couldn’t help but walk with his head turned to Tenten. Probably not a very wise move, there were way too many people to not watch where he was going. They had been getting along so well and having so much fun! And she was being so kind! He wanted to shout another thanks, and he was about to but—

**_WHAM!_ **

He felt himself hit another person quite hard, both people falling back. Glass shattered as a cup broke, and a book went flying in the air. There were a couple gasps and a clearing was made so everyone would avoid the broken glass. Frankly, it was the most space Lee had had since he entered the Mess hall.

Lee rubbed his eyes and finally looked at who he’d bumped into. Darkly rimmed turquoise eyes met shocked onyx ones.

And _kami_ , Lee felt things.

The scenario was a little inconvenient, but to Lee it was like a spotlight had been placed on the two of them. He felt his heart dare to rip out of his chest with loud bears filling his ear. All the shouts and gaps were drowned out. All he could see were those pretty lagoon eyes.

His split-second moment of fantasy faded when he noticed the blood trickling down Gaara’s forearm.

Instinctively he ran forward to help him up and examined his arm. The redhead was quiet and surprisingly, he let Lee touch him. He expected the new Kazekage to slap him way, or punch him into outer space like Sakura did. His skin was so soft, and now that Lee had a good, close look at the new Kazekage he noticed how perfectly clear his skin was, and the way his hair fell perfectly in different directions.

Gaara had been on his eye since the moment he arrived as a freshmen. Lee told himself he was simply ‘curious’ about Gaara, and nothing more. He was entirely straight! Besides, he had rarely ever talked to the redhead. He’d seen him many times at the greenhouse, and even once had the bravery to say hi. The redhead merely glared at him, but Lee took no offense. (I mean, Gaara WAS wearing a bright blue apron and a large flappy hat that was lop sided)

He felt the red liquid touch his hand, and once again he drifted away from his pretty face and back to the task at hand.

“I’m am so sorry!” He cried, “I-I was not aware of my surroundings and I must’ve bumped you—You are hurt! I’m so sorry—”

Sakura came running forward and scowled, pushing Lee away. She was quick to respond, already tending to Gaara’s arm with a first aid kit. She was Lee’s crush, and many, many others’. She was beautiful, perhaps a little mean, but beneath the harsh words and strong punches she was truly a compassionate and loyal friend. Normally, if Lee was this close to the pretty junior he would’ve burned bright red and announced to the world that she was sent from heaven. But, something in that moment changed. 

Suddenly, pink hair didn’t seem as pretty as red, green eyes weren’t as captivating as turquoise ones, and Sakura didn’t seem so great anymore.

Oh, but the boy in front of him seemed like an _angel_.

<><><><>

Kiba cursed under his breath, chasing after the blur of white. Normally Akamaru never acted up like this! It was hard to sneak such a large dog in the Mess Hall, especially when that dog was running him. 

_This was a bad idea_ , Kiba thought, scowling. There were too many new smells and people. He should’ve known it was a stupid idea. But he never went anywhere without Akamaru! He and his dog had been buddies since he was a little pup, and Kiba was probably 8 years old. They had gotten rid of using a leash since Akamaru hated him. He trusted Akamaru since they had already went together once with Hinata and Shino! What changed?

He knew he found Akamaru when he heard someone fall, and a, _“What the FUCK?”_

He forcibly pushed his way through the crowd. He spotted Akamaru stepping all over a tall boy, who was kicking and yelling at the dog to _‘fuck off.’_

“Akamaru!” He growled. He gave a loud whistle, startling most of the people in the mess hall.

He never liked to use the whistle sound. He knew Akamaru didn’t like it. The dog gave one look at his owner, then with a tiny bark of protest got off the human and Kiba lifted the big dog in his arms. He was getting big, but not to the extent where he couldn’t hold him anymore.

“No, Akamaru.” He admonished, glaring at the dog. He whimpered as to apologize, and Kiba sighed. He trusted his dog not to act out, then carefully placed him back on the ground. “Down.” He ordered, and Akamaru listened.

“Oh, man, I’m so sorry dude.” Kiba ran over to the man harassed by his dog. “Shit—did he bite you?”

The male groaned, and sat up. “No,” he grumbled, “He pounced on me though. And now I think my sweatshirt’s torn. _Thanks_.”

“I’m so sorry man,” Kiba apologized, then helped the man get up. When he did, Kiba noticed how much of a height difference there was. The guy was tall, probably seven to eight inches taller. The guy couldn’t beat him up though especially with so many people around AND Akamaru, and that was his only concern.

“I’m still pissed, just so you know.” He snapped, “You owe me.”

“Ah,” Kiba scratched the back of his head. He didn’t have much of a choice “Yeah, alright that seems fair. What do you want?”

“An IOU for now, dog kid.” He snapped.

“It’s _Kiba_.” He growled, “And I said I’m sorry, geez!”

“Why isn’t your dog on a leash?” The guy demanded, “And why the hell is he in the Mess Hall?”

“He’s my partner. And he doesn’t like leashes.” He huffed in reply. “As for that, I don’t go anywhere without him.”

“You sound like one fucked up owner.” The guy hissed. That got Kiba mad.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me!”

“Why you little _shit_ —“

“Kiba.” He knew that voice, and he didn’t want to face Shino. Kiba reluctantly turned around as Shino sighed. “Go put Akamaru back in the cabin. He’s right. Akamaru shouldn’t be here when there’s so many people.”

Kiba fumed. He didn’t want to pick a fight with Shino too, so he complied. “Fine. I wasn’t hungry anyways.” He snapped, then he beckoned for his dog to follow and the two disappeared out the door.

Shino made a small grunt noise. Now the brunette was pissed at him, great. He turned to the Akamaru’s unfortunate victim. “What’s your name?”

The guy stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. “Kankuro.” He said, then walked away into the crowd of people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I managed to get one today! Yeah, I think the next chapter may have some more fluff and gay boys but not sure quite yet. And I haven’t done the perspective of Ino or Sakura yet, so I’ll try to do that soon!
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter. You will not believe how many scenarios I already have written for Gaara and Lee. I don’t think I’ll make them depressed. Maybe Gaara will get some angst, but I love my sand boy and he’s already been through a lot. 
> 
> Stay safe everyone <3


	7. Rule Seven: Grow Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grow the fuck up, Sasuke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh I’m sorry that I haven’t posted yet. BUT
> 
> I HAVE WONDERFUL NEWS!
> 
> So my father had discussed that if me or my brother had ever managed to get all A+’s in a trimester, he’d get us a car. My obvious choice was a Jeep. 
> 
> And, currently, I had an A+ in every class except my Science and English. And by the grace of God, I just received a 100 on the most weighted test grade! (a science fair) Now I have a 97.3! 
> 
> So, I just have to work a little harder in lit and hopefully I can reach my goal! (I’m sorry, I was just so happy I wanted to share this with all you too)

Sakura sighed, and finished wrapping the bandaids around Gaara’s arm. He wasn’t cut too bad, yet she still had to take him to the infirmary to deal with it, and it still looked pretty painful. The boy spoke no words of complaint or pain. She appreciated no whining, (she’d dealt with some pretty nasty freshmen girls who wouldn’t stop wailing,) but she wanted _some_ kind of affirmation that he was fine.

“On a scale from 1 to 10, can you rate how much pain your feeling?” She asked gently, “It’d be super helpful. I need to know how severe it is.”

“It’s fine,” he muttered icily, the first thing he’d spoke since they got here.

How this kid became the Kage of his cabin, she didn’t know. Sure, he was good looking, (not as good looking as Sasuke,) but he was really scary. They were the same age, they knew each other—never talked, though. She swore, in all honesty, Sakura had never seen Gaara smile before.

“Try not to use your left arm too much.” She advised, “It may hurt if you put unnecessary pressure on it, but it’ll heal in a week or so. You did the right thing to cover you face, it was a very smart instinct.”

“Not the first time I’ve had glass thrown at me.” He shrugged. “Or, more specifically, smashed on me.”

The pinkette’s eyes widened, “Wha—“

“Thank you,” He said quietly, cutting her off. “But you didn’t have to.” He stood up from his seat, then opened the door and left.

That kid was _weird_.

<><><><>

“What have I _done?”_ Lee wailed, his form slowly drooping till he was almost half way under the table. The athlete had been so distressed for most of dinner over the small incident, and it was beginning to get annoying. 

“Relax, Bushy Brows!” Naruto said cheerily and patted him on the back. “It was an accident!” He began slurping his ramen loudly. “Ah, nothing’s better than the good ‘ol Ichiraku ramen!”

“The whole Suna cabin will hate me now!” He exclaimed, for what seemed the thirtieth time. “I have ruined a perfectly good opportunity to make a new friend!”

“ _Friend_ , my ass.” Tenten muttered. She plopped a sesame dumpling in her mouth, then pointed her chopsticks accusingly at the boy. _“A sway chur ‘ust pienin’!”_ Lee raised an eyebrow, confused at what she was trying to communicate. All he knew was that it was hostile.

“Tenten, I love you,” Ino sighed, “But sweetheart, we can’t understand you with your mouth full. Chew, swallow, then speak.”

The brunette grumbled, then followed through with the instructions. “It’s nothing. But Lee, calm down! You can apologize later.”

“Oh, well you may not need to.” Shikamaru yawned, gazing behind the group. “The guy’s coming over right now. Just don’t stare, it’ll probably freak him out.”

The next moment, everyone was turning around in their seats to see the newcomer. Shikamaru groaned. Idiots.

As the genius predicted, the redhead hesitated once all eyes were on him. He frowned, the turned his gaze right at Lee, who was probably the most shocked, but nonetheless he was happy to see him.

“Gaara!” He exclaimed, “I am so sorry, are you hurt? I—“

“Where’s my book?” He cut him off. The boy looked impatient, his arms crossed sternly and his foot tapping vigorously.

Gaara’s eyes landed on Naruto for a long second, and they met each other’s gaze. then he turned away. Lee noticed this, and wondered what that was for. Lee felt a surge of jealously and earnest curiosity. What made Naruto so special?

“Well?”

Lee snapped back into reality, and everyone’s eyes were on Lee. He blinked, then blinked once more. His eyebrows furrowed indicating his deep thinking. The only sound seemingly present was the slurps coming from Naruto.

“I do not recall having any book.” He replied finally. “But perhaps—“

The redhead scowled, then abruptly turned on his heel and left without another word.

Lee looked like a depressed puppy, his big eyes gleaming with sadness and his mouth drooping down. Tenten sighed, then patted him on the back.

“Well, that was rude.” Shikamaru noted.

“Gaara’s just a little awkward.” Ino defended, “And...not too good with being social.”

“You know him?” Lee blurted out. “Are you two friends? Or—“

“No. See, we bond over having the same eye color.” She said, sarcasm dripping like honey.

“Oh..I see. I’m sorry for asking—“

“Oh my _god_ Lee I’m joking!” Ino cried exasperated. “Yes, we’re friends.”

“You are?” Tenten asked incredulously. “Since when does Miss Social Butterfly hang out with...him?”

“We bond over plants,” She stated flatly. “I thought you all knew that! I’ve mentioned him a couple times before. You think I spend 3 hours everyday alone in a greenhouse? No way! He’s a great listener and let’s me blabber about all the gossip I want. Fact, he probably knows more about Kim Kardashian than the average girl.”

Soon the conversation was back to its lightness. Shino returned, and told everyone about Kiba leaving, but other than that there were many more laughs and jokes. They all liked to call themselves the ‘Konoha Eleven’, previously the Konoha Twelve, but no one every spoke of that. The three, somewhat sane people were in charge of the group, while everyone else was free to be careless idiots. Poor Neji, Shikamaru, or Shino had to clean up the wreck that the others left behind.

“I’m going to go bring Kiba some food.” Hinata said quietly. “He must be hungry, since he didn’t eat much at lunch either..” She got up from her seat, and disappeared into the crowd to fetch the dog boy something to eat.

“I too, think I’ll go.” Neji said, arising from his spot next to Lee. “I haven’t said hello to Hanabi since the first game. I’ll see you all in the cabin.” He gave a small wave then left the group.

“Then there were eight.” Naruto muttered. “What’s up with everyone leaving? It’s the first goddamn night I just wanna chat with you all!”

“Well, I was thinking we should hold a bonfire on the beach tomorrow.” Ino said, “With all the juniors!”

Tenten and Lee began choking rather loudly, causing the blonde to roll her eyes. “I wasn’t finished. With all the juniors _and_ seniors.”

“That seems like a lot of people.” Shino mused. “That’s a high risk, Ino. You’d be considered the ring leader and probably get in a lot of trouble.”

“Ah, Shino, Shino.” Ino tsked, “No risk, no reward. And besides, I have a couple people who can bail me out either way. Like I said before, Gaara’s my friend. He’s the Kage, and I’m sure he can convince Tsunade to cut me some slack.”

“I’m all for it!” Naruto agreed, pumping his fist in the air. “Ino always throws the coolest parties!”

“Will there be food?” Choji asked. Ino rolled her eyes, but gave a smile and nod. The Akamichi smiled, and followed suit with Naruto, “All right!”

“Is that not unyouthful, though?” Lee asked worriedly, “What if Gai Sensei disapproved—“

“Neji told me you and Tenten pulled some pranks today.” Shikamaru mused. He sighed and scratched his head, “Would that be considered ‘ _unyouthful_ ’?”

Lee faltered, looking down at the floor in complete guilt. “That WAS unyouthful...” His face began to melt. “I have failed Gai Sensei! On the first day no less—“

“OH QUIT IT!” Tenten hissed, giving him a light slap. “We had fun, Lee. We harmed no one! They were light, and amusing pranks. And this isn’t going to harm anyone either. It was just us enjoying—“ she brunette winced, “the... _sPrIngTime oF yOUth._ ”

“Yosh!” Lee agreed instantly. “You are correct Tenten! Let us enjoy our days of youth!” He lifted his cup in the air and leaned forward into the table, “To Youth!”

Naruto laughed, then held his cup to the center of the table with Lee. Tenten sighed, then joined in. Choji and Shikamaru followed and soon everyone else did.

“To youth!” Some said more enthusiastically than others. Cups clanked, water spilled, and laughs erupted.

<><><><>

“This is my spot.”

Gaara didn’t really feel like turning around. He was focused more on the water’s reflection. It held the many oranges and yellows of the sunset, along with some setting darker reds and purples. Camp Kage always had such pretty sunsets.

“I don’t see your name on it.” Gaara replied back coolly. He didn’t feel like arguing right now, and he certainly did not want to be pushed in the lake. That would be...a very bad disaster.

The water scared him a bit. Being surrounding by a matter that one couldn’t have a firm grip on. Only to flail helplessly until death. But there were certainly different perspectives of swimming.

“I built it.” The voice hissed.

“Well, care to share it?” Gaara replied with a icy tone. “I come here often. Have you not noticed, if this is your dock?”

The redhead gave in and turned around to the glare of an Uchiha. His eyes held hatred, but more so they held remorse. Something was on this boy’s mind. A feeling that No Subaku Gaara knew all too well.

This wasn’t the first time the two had crossed paths. They had been bitter to each other at the start of freshmen year when they first met. They shared similar views on life, same energy of hate. They fought, once physically and led both of them into the infirmary with a couple fractures and bruises. Not to mention a long rant from Tsunade.

Further along the line in their sophomore years, they became quiet acquaintances. Nobody saw them hanging out in the day time, but when the moon arose and two lonely boys couldn’t sleep, they’d sneak out and take a walk together. They were lonely together.

Sasuke wasn’t nice. But neither was Gaara. They didn’t care for formalities, or to actually bond. They weren’t ‘friends.’ They were two lost souls letting their anger out.

Today wasn’t any different.

“You’re frustrated.” Gaara noted. He subconsciously scooted over to the right side of the dock, giving ample room for Sasuke to sit down. An open invitation.

“How astute of you to notice,” Sasuke said sarcastically, “Wise words by the Kazekage.”

Perhaps if Gaara was in his younger years, that single comment would’ve drove him to anger. He most likely would’ve thrown a punch, perhaps kick him into the water. Maybe he’d even been angered enough to break a couple bones.

He didn’t.

The thought of that golden boy sparked in his mind. With his happy smile, and hands behind his back. That one moment, where their eyes locked and he said:

_Your not alone_.

Gaara’s lip slowly turned up a bit. Those words were his salvation, and led him into a new relationship with his siblings and a brighter outlook on life. He started smiling more, and he didn’t think about hurt and hurting others anymore. He thought about what he could give. He learned how to enjoy life.

But that smile faltered. The way that golden boy had looked at him at dinner broke his little heart. There was no recognition in his eyes when he gazed at him. Those ocean eyes held hospitality, not for a friend, but for a new, unrecognizable stranger.

Naruto didn’t remember Gaara.

The sting in his left arm was no match for the sting in his chest.

  
  


So he came to drown his sorrows out at the lake, and apparently someone else had the same idea.

Sasuke looked at Gaara in the eyes. Transparently, his eyes softened, but his tone was still harsh. “You’re frustrated too.”

“Yes.” He admitted. Gaara looked across the lake to the island, reflecting all the colors of the pretty sky. “I came here to cool off. Care to join?”

Sasuke let out a gruff, but he sat down next to the Kage. They sat in silence for a bit before surprisingly, the Uchiha talked first. Gaara was surprised how fast he opened up, but still he was ready to listen.

“I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

Gaara closed his eyes. He focused on the summer breeze, blowing the little hairs out of his face and giving a cold, yet welcoming gust of wind.

“You shouldn’t have to.” That seemed like a fitting answer. “Life is meant to be enjoyed. It’s quite short.”

“Life’s a bitch.” Sasuke hissed.

“But you make your life even bitchier.” Gaara added.

They bickered back and forth about how life sucked, and how the universe hated specifically them. The topic stayed consistent. They were really good at that; they could talk about sorrow all day long and never grow tired...

...And they talked about memories they could never forget.

“—It’s not like I want it to be that way.” Sasuke snapped, “I deserve pain.”

So, he was still caught up about _that_.

Gaara was no where near close to Sasuke. They weren’t friends, like he’d stated before. But Gaara knew deep secret about the Uchiha, that some of his closest friends would never live to know. And he knew exactly what Sasuke was talking about.

“You can’t blame yourself for that.” The redhead said quietly. He paused. “This isn’t how... ** _he_** would’ve wanted you to spend life. Sulking.”

“Well _**he’s**_ not here.” Sasuke snapped. “And I don’t see you doing any better, Subaku. Why the hell did you come here anyways?”

“Because of life and the inconveniences it brings.” Gaara summed up. He stood up. Sasuke needed some time to think by himself.

“Life is like a plant, Sasuke. I’ve told you many times. It needs nurturing and care to keep growing. It needs a bit of sunshine, water, and air to breathe. And also, plants compliment each other. No single flower can ever measure up to a bouquet.”

Gaara wanted to be like Naruto. He wanted to help others, and grow. This was a way of giving back.

“Life isn’t fair, Sasuke.” Gaara concluded. “So give yourself the benefit of the doubt and let it go.”

Gaara left, and headed to the greenhouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!
> 
> Haha, I hope it’s not evident too much that Gaara’s my favorite character. And I just had to make Ino and Gaara buddies. Like, I love both them and just??? Let them bond over plants??? 
> 
> And I’m not trying to be mean to Sasuke when I say ‘grow the fuck up’ because I love this child and he’s just hurt. It’s just there’s to put emphasis. Sorry if someone gets upset, just know I understand and I love Sasuke too <3
> 
> Sasuke’s on the way to recovery <3 He’s just a little boy stuck in the past, so we need a hyperactive ball of sunshine to pull him back to the present, and look to the future! (Ooh I might use that line later lmao)
> 
> You all are so amazing for reading, love you all! Stay safe and for those who are still in school like me, work hard until the end! You’ll feel so relieved at the end. I hope you enjoyed! <3


	8. Rule Eight: Boys Need Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Konoha girls are really scared. SOS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh this one is a little bad. I’m sorry. Homework is a little stressful right now, and I was having a really bad day yesterday. Thanks for everyone who is patiently waiting! Thanks for even READING this trashy fanfic. I love you all, stay safe!

In the Konoha Cabin, in the boy’s sleeping quarters, around thirty people were engaged in an all-out war.

“HAHA!” Naruto yelled, jumping off a bed to slap Lee on the head with a pillow. “Take THAT, Bushy Brows!” After Naruto’s one second victory, Asuma whacked him incredibly hard with a stuff animal, sending him head first onto a bed.

Even the counselors were in. It was suppose to be counselors, freshmen, and sophomores versus the juniors and seniors, but some betrayed. Rock Lee couldn't face the agony of fighting his sensei, so naturally he changed his loyalties and now everyone was after him.

Surprisingly, the more quieter ones were participating too. Neji and Shikamaru became a team, sniping sophomores and freshmen from the top bunk of Neji’s bed. They wrapped a soccer ball inside a thick blanket, then aimed for Gai Sensei’s head.

“I’ll do it.” Neji offered, and took his aim. The blanketed ball was thrown spot on, and right about to hit the bowl-cutted counselor in the face.

“GAI SENSEI!” Came loud shrieking from Lee. He leapt up to jump in front of the ball, and directly hit him in the face. The senior fell to the ground dramatically, and juniors took advantage of it and began whacking him some more.

“Ouch.” Shikamaru winced.

“FRESHMEN ATTAAAACK!” screeched some brunette kid. He had a blue scarf tired around his neck like a cape, and stood on top of a bed. He jumped down and smacked Naruto right in the face.

A nothing freshmen aided the cause, and jumped on Naruto’s stomach and knocked the wind right out. The two began whacking continuously with pillows.

“Ah!” He exclaimed with laughs. He turned. The nearest person to him was coincidentally Sasuke, who was reading a book. “SasUKe—OWCH! KONOHAMARU, THAT HURT! DON’T DO IT SO HARD! SASUKE HEEELPPPPPP!”

“Hn.” He replied back, and thus continued to ignore the commotion going on.

Sasuke was a special case, and even the freshmen picked up on that pretty fast. No one dared hit Sasuke, less they feel his burning rage. He was cool, and a lot of the newer kids looked up to him, seeing he had such a reputation.

However, counselors didn’t feel the same way.

It was like the whole room stopped. A fluffy pillow was flung straight at the Uchiha’s face, knocking him back and his book dropping out his hands. A couple people gasped, and everyone stopped their fighting to watch.

“Shit’s about to go down.” Shikamaru whispered to Neji, who smirked in approval. They had a safe haven up on the top bunk, where no one could hurt them.

“At least it will be entertaining.” The Hyūga smiled.

“ _Oops_. My mistake, Sasuke.” Said a cheeky silver haired man, who just happened to be the Hokage. “I was aiming for Shino.” Kakashi always was a bad liar, or didn’t try to make a believable lie.

Sasuke’s eye twitched. He looked at the pillow thrown at him, then back at his old instructor. In the blink of an eye, Sasuke was up and whacking at Kakashi.

“YEAH SASUKE!” Naruto cheered, and with newfound spirit, knocked the freshmen boys off him and ran to attack with the Uchiha.

Asuma laughed, and hurried to help, but was knocked down by a pillow from Shikamaru and a tackle from Choji.

“WE GOTTA SAVE OUR HOKAGE!” yelled another freshmen, and four newbies charged. Sasuke didn’t really care, and merely kicked them back with his heel and sent them flying onto a bed. Once a bastard, always a bastard.

One student crashed into a nightstand, water flying everywhere in a disaster. Thank god it wasn’t glass.

“That’s so wet!” cried a sophomore.

Shino and Kiba were beating up Lee and some sophomore kids, while Asuma was getting suffocated under Choji and nobody was helping him. Gai was pummeling some seniors up, with his great skills of marital arts. He almost broke a bed by slamming a kid to hard.

“HOW DOES IT FEEL!” Gai exclaimed heartily.

“I’m sore!” Wailed a couple freshmen. They plopped on the bed, officially done with the pillow fight.

“I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!” Asuma groaned, “GET OFF, CHOJI.”

“OH my _FUCKING_ GOD.” The door was slammed open, and everyone stopped. Golden brown eyes narrowed at Kakashi. “I make you the leader and on the first day _this_ is what’s going on?”

“I’m hyping up my team.” He shrugged. “No harm has come to anyone.”

“Maybe in _this_ room!” Tenten’s head popped up behind Tsunade. She fumed, “We’re dying in our room!”

”Do you know how hard it is to rest?” Demanded Sakura, “With all the _AHHHH! THAT’S SO HARD!”_

“Yeah.” Ino walked in, slouching in the doorway. “It sounds like y’all are fucking. A thirtisome? _Damn_ , ‘kashi you’ll be a great Hokage.”

Tsunade sighed. “Does anyone need to go to the infirmary?” Nobody answered. She sighed one last time. “Fine, Kakashi. I’ll let this slide. But you don’t get to use the hot tub today because of that.”

The silver haired man sighed. “Oh well. Tomorrow then.”

“ _ **Hot tub?!**_ ” Naruto asked, whipping his head over to the Hokage. “What hot tub?”

“The Kage one.” Tsunade explained dryly. “For _Kages_.”

“There’s a fucking hot tub here and I didn’t know?” Kiba asked.

“You’re eyesight is not as perceptive as your smell.” Shino chimed in, and Kiba pushed him.

“Well, Anyways.” Tsunade said, “I came to tell you all that the next challenge will be a puzzle. The game starts at 1:00, and here’s your first clue.” She flung an envelope at Kakashi, “Don’t open it until then. If you do, you’re immediately disqualified. Chow.”

The busty blonde left at that, walking straight out of that hell cabin that she once belonged to.

“It’s only 9:00!” Naruto complained, “Why do we have to wait so long?”

“I’m gonna hit the Mess Hall,” Kiba said, and Shino began walking out with him. “Later.”

“Same!” Choji beamed, then waved goodbye to head to breakfast.

“YOSH!” Lee exclaimed, “And I too must embark on my morning routine! A jog around the entire camp ten times! Neji, would you like to join?”

The Hyūga winced. “No.”

“Alright! I shall be off then!” Lee gave a happy smile, and sprinted out of the room.

“You wanna play Shoji?” Shikamaru asked the pale eyed male. “You seem to be the only person here who’d give me a challenge.”

Neji shrugged, “Why not.”

Everyone was finding things to do, but Naruto was completely bored. He wanted to go explore, but not _alone_!

Naruto couldn’t help but look back at Sasuke, who was curled up in a ball in his lower bunk reading some shitty book. Who likes reading anyways?

He promised Sasuke he’d leave him alone. Naruto pouted, and turned away sadly. There could totally be a loophole in what he said. He tried to replay what happened back at the dock, though it made his chest hurt he had to think.

He lit up in ecstasy. He was so smart! Proudly and confidently, he walked back to the Uchiha and jumped on the bed, making them both bounce up.

Sasuke glared at him. _Oh, so NOW you’re looking at me!_

“Hey Teme!” Naruto beamed, “C’mon, lets go do something.”

Sasuke didn’t look up from his book, and using his foot he kicked Naruto in the chest. “I told you to go.”

“I did. Yesterday.” Naruto grinned, “But NARUTO’S BACK, BITCHES!”

If Sasuke wasn’t gonna play nice, neither was Naruto.

The Uzumaki snatched the book right out of Sasuke’s hand, then without hesitation flung it onto the ground right where the water spilled from their game.

If death had a face, Naruto would’ve look it straight in the eyes when he met Sasuke’s glare.

“ _Why you_ —“

Sasuke tackled him, throwing kicks and punches at the Uzumaki who was too happy to care. He got emotion out of Sasuke! He was mad! Not some lifeless rag doll!

Naruto fought back with laughs, and with his happy energy overpowered the Uchiha and forced him in a headlock. What surprised him was that Sasuke was barely fighting back. Maybe if it were through the eyes of a passerby, they would think Sasuke was just in a difficult situation and couldn’t. But Naruto knew well enough that Sasuke was strong, and could easily get himself out.

Was he playing along...?

“Let _go_ of me, Dobe!” He hissed. He began to struggle and kick, but nothing too strong. It raised question’s in Naruto’s mind, but he didn’t care. If the universe was giving him a chance, then he’d totally take it!

“Come on, Teme!” Naruto beamed, and began dragging Sasuke out of the room. “Your stupid book needs to dry anyways! Let’s go explore!”

“ _I SWEAR TO GOD, NARUTO_ —“

“Stop being a hermit and lets do something!” Naruto grinned. “You’re stuck with me for three months! So stop resisting and being an emo ass and lets do something!”

“I hate you.”

“I think you’re lying. Now come on.”

All around camp, a blonde boy could be seen dragging a raven-haired boy. They passed Kiba and Shino, who waved back. They saw Shikamaru and Neji in an intense game, both too invested to look up or say hi. They saw Lee a couple times as he did his ‘simple jog’. They passed the greenhouse, and inside someone’s mouth turned up, and gave a pleased hum.

Naruto knew it’d be a struggle to heal his friend, and he knew he couldn’t do it alone. So he prayed, and _prayed_ that Sasuke would try to heal himself.

He’d pull Sasuke’s sorry ass out of this pit of sadness and right into a field of sunflowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it came a little late. I hope you enjoyed it, as sucky as it is. 
> 
> Also, hopefully most of us are in agreement:
> 
> Lee + Gaara: Lee is definitely the big spoon. Right?? In my opinion, I certainly don’t think Gaara would be top. I doubt he even would know how to BE in a relationship. (Sorry if some people like GaaLee. I’m more of a LeeGaa fan.)
> 
> And for Naruto and Sasuke: I honestly don’t know. I feel like Naruto would be open about the relationship and initiate things more, but Sasuke also has a strong sense of leadership and dominance. But to be honest, I think I like NaruSasu slightly more?? Sooooo I don’t really know if there would be a ‘dominant’ person in the relationship. (I don’t know what word to use, haha. I’m not referring to sex though.) In relationship wise, they switch maybe???? That sounds weird, but I hope you get what I mean.
> 
> Love you all 💕💕  
> Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🏳️🌈  
>  ^why ain’t the pride flags working???


	9. Rule Nine: Use Your Brain, Idiots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto’s head hurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for taking so long! I have one week left of school, and so far it’s going well! Once everything’s done I’ll have so much time in my hands. 
> 
> Today’s also my mothers birthday, and itachis! Happy birthday Itachi, and my Mom. Love you both💞💞
> 
> June ninth, and chapter nine!
> 
> Oh, and the graph won’t paste! Do you guys know how to insert an image? 😅 I’m pretty clueless.

“Open it! Open it!” Naruto demanded, pushing his old Sensei. “Come on!! We don’t have all day!”

“Yes, Naruto.” Neji sighed. “We don’t. We have _three_ days.”

“Yeah, well we won’t need that long!” Naruto said matter-of-factly. “How hard could a little riddle be?”

It was exactly 1:00, with everyone gathering around in the Common room of their cabin. Not everyone was too excited, but no one blamed them. They just got out of school, and they were already forced to use their strained brains.

“I doubt it’s only one riddle.” Shino reasoned. “It’s most likely a set of riddles, or at least some string of challenges. Tsunade said it was the ‘first clue’ after all.”

“Well OPEN!” Naruto said, grabbing Kakashi by the shoulders and shaking him. The Hokage stayed passively bored, then easily pushed the junior off him and ripped out the letter.

“You kids are always so impatient.” He sighed, then in a bored voice, read aloud:

“ _To the fire cabin,_

_Today’s challenge is a test of wit. Well, not really. I’d just like to see how exceptionally dumb each cabin is._

_There are five locked boxes inside the Mess Hall once with each cabin’s color, if you were too dumb to notice. There are ten locks on each of the boxes, with keys hidden all around camp in places you will never find by searching alone. The answer to finding the keys is through mathematical and brain straining riddles._

_However, your Kage will NOT be able to participate in this challenge. Counselors can provide moral support. Other than that, it’s up to your campers to solve._

_Each riddle, you must elect one to seven campers.(7 is max.) I don’t care how you pair everyone, just make sure every little runt has something to solve. The riddles will progressively get harder as you get closer to winning. They are not for the faint of heart. It’s your choice how you solve them._

_Whatever is in the box is a great reward, along with 1000 points towards the tournament. There is no second, third, or fourth place. Only one winner for the prize. The first person to open the box wins, no exceptions._

_Have fun._

_-Tsunade >:)_”

“That gramma had the fucking nerve to make an evil smiley face?” Naruto exclaimed. “Wow.”

“Don’t disrespect Lady Tsunade like that!” Tenten hissed, punching him in the shoulder. Naruto tried to hide the slight wince. “She’s a great woman with a sense of humor!”

“I have the list of riddles.” Kakashi said, and whipped out ten white envelopes. They all had designated numbers on them, one thru ten. And it’s your choice as to who solves what. Though I do have a structure for it.”

“I suggest for the first five to be made up of freshmen and sophomores. They are pretty difficult, even for you guys.”

“I’ll lead one!” Shouted Konohamaru. “I won’t fail you Mr. Hokage!”

“It’s _Kakashi_.” He reprimanded. He shrugged, “If you want to. Sophomores and freshmen, gather in groups of seven and I’ll hand you your riddle. Some of you will get ones harder than the others. Good luck.” He handed one to each set of seven, and they scattered off to begin.

Once the freshmen and sophomore had gotten their letters, he turned to the juniors and sophomores.

“These riddles are very, very hard.” He stated sternly. “I need all the brain power you guys have.”

“That’s equivalent to five brain cells. At max for juniors.” Neji muttered.

“Exactly.” Kakashi said, and Neji looked up in confusion. “You’re exactly right, Hyūga. That was a joke to you, perhaps. But it’s the goddamn truth. I know you kids well, much more than the newer kids. And sadly, most of you are idiots. That’s why I’m splitting the smart ones up so we’re not completely hopeless.”

“Sasuke.” The boy raised an eyebrow. “You’re leading group 6, which consists of four seniors of your choice, and Ino and Sai.” Sasuke sighed, then looked around to find his teammates.

“Sakura.” The pinkette looked up surprised, but stood tall and strong no less. “I’m assigning you as the leader for the 7th riddle. Like Sasuke, take four seniors. Don’t let me down, and try not to kill your teammates.”

“I can’t _kill_ them—“

“You’re with Naruto and Kiba too.”

Before she could argue, he began speaking again. “Shino, you’ll be with Choji and Hinata, and take four seniors.” He nodded and willingly took the envelope out of Kakashi’s hand.

“Neji, you’re with Lee and Tenten. Take the rest of the other seniors.” The milky eyed boy nodded, then took his envelope.

“And Shikamaru.” The lazy boy open one of his eyes in a bored manner. He was currently laying on couch, arms behind his head and leg kicked up on the armrest. Kakashi stared at him with his single eye, somewhat reflecting seriousness.

“You’re by yourself for number 10.” He said, then flung the envelope at him.

There was a pause in the room, and everyone watched the junior leisurely stick his hand up to reach the letter, then closed his eyes again and seemingly went back to sleep.

“Why is he alone?” Tenten demanded, “We’ll totally lose! We need more than one person working on the hardest one! Can’t we—”

“I know what I’m doing.” Kakashi said, “And if everything goes to plan, I’m sure we can win this one. You all may be idiots, but the other cabins are just as dumb.”

<><><><>

Naruto stared at the letter Sakura had put in front of him. It wasn’t english! He didn’t understand a thing!

_Sasori’s two grandparents want to see him every weekend, but they live on opposite sides of town. As a compromise, he tells them that every Sunday, he’ll head to the subway station nearest to his apartment at a random time of the day and will hop on the next train that arrives._

_If it happens to be the train traveling north, he’ll visit his Grandpa Ebizo uptown, and if it happens to be the train traveling south, he’ll visit his Grandma Chiyo downtown. Both of his grandparents are okay with this plan, since they know both the northbound and southbound trains run every 20 minutes._

_But after a few months of doing this, Grandma Chiyo complains that she sees him only one out of five Sundays. Sasori promises he’s indeed heading to the station at a random time each day. How can this be?_

“Huh???” Naruto asked. His eyes went cross eyed. “I don’t wanna think!” He scratched his head, then ran circles on his forehead. Right now, he didn’t have any brain power.

“Just don’t get in my way.” Sakura huffed, “then we’ll be fine. I can solve this on my own. This can’t be too hard.”

“No, no! I can help!” Naruto grinned, then looped his arm around her shoulder, “We got this, right?”

Sakura scowled, then in a second twisted his arm back and he yelled with an ‘Ack!’. Her emerald eyes flashed with fury, and she threw him back and crossed her arms. “You can’t just touch a girl without permission!”

“It was a friendly gesture, Sak.” Kiba argued. “It’s not like he squeezed your ass! Calm down!” She glared at him, then went back to looking at her paper.

“Man, why do you like her?” The dog lover asked in a hushed voice. He gently stroked Akamaru, who wasn’t a fan of all the yelling. “All I ever see her do is hurt you.”

“Sakura’s real sweet.” Naruto retaliated, a little to loudly. “She’s just got an awful temper!”

“I’VE GOT A _WHAT_?”

<><><><>

_Max and Rose are ant siblings. They love to race each other, but always tie, since they actually crawl at the exact same speed. So they decide to create a race where one of them (hopefully) will win._

_For this race, each of them will start at the bottom corner of a cuboid, and then crawl as fast as they can to reach a crumb at the opposite corner. The measurements of their cuboids are as pictured:_

_(Don’t think it’s working, but Max’s cuboid is a perfect square, 3 inches each side. Rose has a cuboid with a three inch width, 4 inch length, and 2 inch height.)_

_If they both take the shortest possible route to reach their crumb, who will reach their crumb first? (Don’t forget they’re ants, so of course they can climb anywhere on the edges or surface of the cuboid.)_

“I’ve got it.” Shino said, almost instantly. Hinata smiled knowingly; her brilliant friend had a sweet spot for bugs.

“What’s the answer?” Choji asked. He was quite shocked that within five minutes Shino Aburame would be off to open the seventh lock.

“Max.” Shino said shortly. “They’re ants, and area does not matter for them. They can crawl up the cuboid, yet it would still act as a flat platform. Max would only have 6 inches to crawl to, while Rose has 7.”

”Well alright Shino!” Choji cheered. “We already won!”

“So what do we do?” Hinata asked quietly. “Six is our answer. Do we take it to Tsunade or...?”

“It’s a clue, Hina.” Shino said. “We have to find it on our own.”

“Well then let’s go!” Choji beamed, and the three ran away.

<><><><>

“This has got to be some _fucking_ joke.” Sasuke groaned. Ino looked over his shoulder to read the riddle, then instantly cringed and stepped back.

This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. How old did Kakashi think they _were_? He shook his head in thought, then dropped the note from his fingers, letting in gracefully land in the grass. Then he continually stomped on it like a mad circus elephant.

“Kakashi said these were hard!” Ino cried. She winced, “I didn’t know he _literally_ meant they were _hard_ —“

“Isn’t the answer clear?” Sai questioned. “It’s a dick.”

Ino whirled around to the pale boy, her face red with embarrassment. “Sai! You don’t just _say that—_ “

“Why not?” He asked. He turned to the four female seniors with them. They were more or less not paying attention, on phones and sometimes looking at Sasuke and giggling. Useless.

“Isn’t it the answer?” Sai asked. He repeated the riddle, “ _I’m at least six inches long, goes in your mouth, and I’m more fun if I vibrate._ I do not understand?”

“Listen, homeschool.” Sasuke sighed, clearly done. “Riddles are suppose to trick you. And obviously, there’s a more logical answer to this.”

“A sex toy?” Sai asked.

“ _NO—_ “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, I finally got to add Sai in. Truth is, I haven’t watched much of Shippūden. 😅 DONT COME AT ME PLS NARTOE FANS. I love this show a lot! And well, I haven’t had much time to watch due to schoolwork. So, I haven’t seen too much development of Sai yet, so I’ll get there. Sorry if he’s OOC. 
> 
> Stay safe, and happy pride month! 🌈


	10. Rule Ten: Ask For Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well *scream* for help, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, school is finally over! 
> 
> Sorry I didn’t post earlier, I got a little busy. Love you all, thanks for sticking with this story!

“Is this person dead?” Lee asked, and Tenten shook her head.

She smiled in pride, “Six questions left.”

Lee furrowed his bushy eyebrows. 21 questions was usually easy for him, but this one stumped him. This person apparently was male, around their age, and Tenten knew this man pretty well. Short black hair, and apparently they went to the same school. Tall, and had an exuberant personality.

“Hmm, am I still in touch with this person?” Lee questioned hopefully.

“Yeah, I hope so.” Lee raised an eyebrow in confusion. She giggled, “Yeah, I’m joking. You are. I’d say you know the guy pretty well. As well as I do.”

“Is it Neji?”

“Does Neji have short hair? And you already asked if it was! Five questions.”

“Are they at this camp?”

“Yep.” She said, while popping the ‘p’ gleefully. She kicked her legs up onto Lee’s, and situated herself more comfortably. “Keep asking.”

“Are they in our cabin?”

“Yessir.”

He was getting so close. Lee beamed, though he had three more questions. Black hair..Sasuke Uchiha? Shino Aburame? Sai?

“Is he a junior?” He asked. He was certain it was, but he needed to make sure.

“Nope.”

“What?” Lee demanded, utterly shocked, “How could it be!”

The brunette snickered. Then lightheartedly flicked his shoulder. “You’re thinking about this too hard. Go over the facts again.”

He did, and still he could not find any solution. He thought of all the seniors in his cabin, narrowing it down to Tadashi and Kaito, two twins. They were the only others that Lee hung out with; everyone else thought he was weird. They went to the same school too, and were decently tall.

It was definitely one of them, and a slow smirk began to form on his face.

“Two more.”

“Does he have black eyes?”

Tenten grinned, slowly nodding. “Yeah! You’ve finally caught on?”

It was Kaito then! He was correct! He had outwitted Tenten in this one! His slowly spreading grin turned into a goofy and uncontrollable smile and giggle. His friend smiled warmly back.

“YOSH, I do!! Final question! Is it Kaito?”

Her smile stayed for one second longer, then with an eye twitch and a face palm, she shook her head. Tenten sighed, drooping down like a sad puddle of mud. “You’re clueless, aren’t you?”

Lee frowned dishearteningly. “I am incorrect?”

“Lee, the person was you.” She deadpanned. “Completely obvious! Tall, same school, short black hair, senior, we know the guy really well?”

His mouth formed into a silent ‘O’. That made perfect sense, but he was too selfless to ever even consider himself in anything. He shrugged, and sheepishly scratched his head.

“Oh well,” He smiled brightly, “Perhaps next time I shall describe you then! Kind and beautiful!”

“Stop it, Lee.” She stuttered. She began pushing him away with her feet while her hands hid her red face. Tenten always colored easily. He laughed out, and gave her a hug.

“You’re embarrassing me, Lee!”

“No one is around!” He beamed, then continued to squeeze his best friend. She laughed, then returned the embrace and wrapped her arms around him too.

“You always get so touchy when you’re happy.” Tenten muttered against his shoulder. “You really need to get a partner soon so you can suffocate them in hugs instead of me.”

The mention of a ‘partner’ got Lee a little pink. Darkly rimmed turquoise eyes blinked at him in his mind. He tried to swipe the thought away before Tenten noticed, but apparently he was too late.

“Oh?” She asked, pulling away so he could meet her twinkling eyes. “You found someone?”

“N-no!” He cried. “I have not!”

“Look, if you’re not willing to tell me that you‘ve got a lover, then that’s fine—“

“Gaara is _not_ my lover!”

That caused an eruption of giggles to spur from Tenten’s lips, almost making her fall back. Lee was already red as a tomato, and her laughing was making it worse.

“What is so funny?” He demanded. “We are just friends!”

“I never said _anything_ about _Gaara_ , Lee.” She winked, then doubled over laughing once more, collapsing down in laughter on Lee’s shoulder.

Well _shit_.

“NO I DO NOT MEAN IT LIKE THAT!” He cried out. He was scrambling to cover his tracks, though he wasn’t doing too well based off of Tenten’s amused face. “HE IS MERELY A FRIEND AND RESPECTABLE YOUNG MAN—“

“Would you two be _quiet_?” Came from the trees. They stopped talking, immediately their voices hushed.

“Sorry Neji!” Tenten squeaked, trying to suppress snorts and cackles.

“TENTEN IS BEING MEAN!” Lee shouted, throwing a fit like a wailing baby. “She has offended me personally and I do not know how to react except to be furious!”

“You don’t _sound_ furious.” She snickered.

“Then go complain to Gai Sensei.” Neji said, waving them off with his hand. “He’d love to here this intriguing story.”

“Okaaaay, Nej, we’ll be quiet.” Tenten said, “Sorry Your Majesty.”

His milky eyes narrowed, giving them a side glare. That look may have frightened them two years ago, but it had no effect anymore. Neji realized this, then scowled. He rolled his eyes, then turned back to continue focusing.

“Should we get him something to drink?” Tenten whispered to her companion.

“I’m not sure. He does not seem to be in the mood for any sort of bothering, not matter if it has the intention to help.” Lee whispered back.

The two gazed over at the tree that Neji was sitting under, criss crossed and eyes closed deep in thought. It was a very difficult riddle that required reasoning and immense math skills.

The riddle was complex, far so that Lee and Tenten decided they’d be of no use. So Neji told them to go away for a while and let him meditate on it.

“We should get him a pencil and paper.” Tenten advised, “ I mean, how’s he doing all this math in his head?”

_Tsunade was creating a family tree, but had trouble tracking down her mother’s birthdate. The only clue she found was a letter written from her grandmother to her grandfather on the day her mother was born. Unfortunately, some of the characters were smudged out, represented here with a “___”. (The length of the line does not reflect the number of smudged characters.)”_

_“Dear Hashirama,_

_Little did I know when I headed to the store this Monday morning, that by evening I would be in labor, and we would have a beautiful baby girl. And on our wedding anniversary, no less! It makes me think back to that incredible weekend day, J___ 27th, 19___, when we first shared our vow to create a family together, and, well, here we are! Happy eighth anniversary, my love.”_

_“P.S. Hope this one stumps you. Have fun, suckers!_

_-Tsunade”_

Yeah, they would definitely be of no use.

Neji’s closed eye twitched. Sure, they were trying to be respectful, but he could still hear their hushed chatter. Of course it sounded like utter nonsense, but the sound waves still reverberated from tree to tree, and right to Neji.

He opened one of his pale eyes and observed the nature around him. Dancing leaves gracefully slipped to the ground, and the native song of the birds called out. Light painted the ground, as glorious streams from the sun formed their way between the green trees.

It was as if his senses had become hyperactive. He observed everyone sound and every aspect of life around him.

It was calming.

Neji didn’t usually didn’t take the time to admire nature. With his family being so engulfed in business, he didn’t usually focus on beauty that could found other than man made structures. This summer camp reminded him that not all beauty was gone. He closed both eyes again, listening to the song of nature.

Birds. He could here all those little chirps, and how desperately did he want to know what they were saying. They were so free, and so graceful. Soaring high, then swooping down and through the trees. Adorned with beautiful feathers and the prettiest voices in the world. What he would give to be like that.

Soon the voices of Lee and Tenten faded, and he was in his own mind scape.

Everything was all too calming, too quiet. On the daily, he normal had loud thoughts (contrast to how much he spoke). He observed almost everything, taking note to each new surrounding or analyzing his friends carefully. He couldn’t think those loud thoughts right now. It was like he was in a white room, perfect and pure, blank and empty. Spotless but colorless.

His eyebrows scrunched uncomfortably. Something was wrong with his head. He didn’t care about the riddle anymore, that was the whole point he was focusing. _It didn’t matter._

He lightly hit his head on instinct. (Like it would help at all) Memories were suppose to be stored here. Days of merriment and laughter, or sadness and sorrow, but his mind was blank. Nothing was there. _Where did they all go?_ It was like he was walking around, searching for some sort of comfort or familiarity. But nothing was there.

Panic arose in him. _Where were his memories?_ What happened to all the lovely times of learning martial arts with father, and ridiculous challenges by Lee? What about making sesame buns with Tenten? He knew they all happened, but he couldn’t remember any exact scenes. He couldn’t picture them in his mind.

His heart rate sped up and the blood pounded heavily in his ears. _Where were they?_

Neji has never felt so helpless. He could feel his whole body going numb, his breathes shallow and too quick.His hands were shaking, and even his lips quaked. Something was very, _very_ wrong. 

He couldn’t picture his own father’s face.

And for the first time in thirteen years, Neji screamed for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading! I’m sorry again for not posting earlier! And angsttttt! Sorry Neji. 
> 
> Also, I love love love Team Gai with all my heart <3
> 
> (NOTICE: I don’t know how soon the next chapter will be, bc I’m going to go back and edit the chapters/add things. Love you all!)
> 
> (Also: because I don’t want to lose interest in this, I think I’m going to start a one shot! Five Times Rock Lee Gets Punched (leegaa) and basically just fluff! Would that interest y’all?)
> 
> Love you all! 💕🌈👊🏿


	11. Rule Eleven: Never Trust Your Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I mean, come on Gaara. I thought you knew better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is basically me just loving the sand siblings and I wanted to dedicate a chapter for them. Aaaand so I could leave a longer cliffhanger for poor, poor Neji. :)

The _fuck_?” Kankuro asked. He stared down at the white sheet of paper for the fiftieth time. It may have been amusing at the start, but sitting here trying to solve it was a pain in the ass. He was really tempted to tape it onto Gaara’s mirror and ditch the challenge.

_What goes in hard, comes out soft, and you blow continuously?_

In all honesty, he felt kind of offended that this was the riddle Gaara assigned to him. That little bastard knew him too well; he wouldn’t be able to think at all! This was the stupidest riddle ever. And Gaara said it was _difficult_.

“Maybe...a candle?” Matsuri asked. She was one of the only ones putting in effort to solve the riddle. Though she wasn’t doing too good a job. “It’s a hard stick—“

“Don’t say it like that, Matsuri.”

“It’s a solid length—“

“Try again, Matsuri.”

“It’s a candlestick _dammit_ Kankuro! And it melts when in fire, and you blow on it to stop the fire?”

“That’s a little too specific.” Commented a sophomore. “And candles don’t go ‘in’ something.”

The four high schoolers sat on the grass defeated. They had been concentrating for what felt like hours now, and frankly everyone was tired of each other. Kankuro was starving and annoyed; his patience was running thin and he was completely over being stuck with younger kids.

“How’s it going?” Coincidentally, Temari came walking over with their oh-so precious Kazekage. She had here shit-eating grin, one arm on her hip and the other waving her fan. Gaara’s arms were crossed as he looked down at the brain dead Suna kids. “You all look great.”

“Fuck you.” Kankuro spat, throwing his cap at her, which she easily dodged and it drifted to the grass. He turned to his stoic baby brother, who looked seemingly indifferent. “Fuck you even more.”

“I assume you haven’t gotten anywhere with the riddle?” Gaara asked, and Kankuro swore there was a glint of amusement in his tone.

“You son of bitch, you know exactly what you’ve done.” He hissed back. He reached to throw his cap once more at another sibling, but found it was too far away from his reach and was too lazy to retrieve it again.

“Yes, I agree our father was a deeply flawed bitch.” Gaara nodded, humming thoughtfully. “And by you mean what I’ve done, I assume you mean assigned you a riddle, like I did for _everyone_ in the cabin?”

“Well why’d you give me this riddle in particular?” He demanded, trying to swat his brother.

“Because he thought it’d be offensive to you if you got put with all the freshmen.” Temari responded for him with a cocky sneer. “I mean, we are your siblings Kank. You’re _incredibly_ stupid!”

“Whatever, but I’m taking a break.” Kankuro muttered. “We have three days, don’t we? Why are we being forced to think so hard if we have so much time?”

“Fine. You all can take a break for a while, but please try solving it before the day ends.” Gaara said, and while the older kids groaned, the freshmen there nodded in determination.

“Mr. Gaara?” Matsuri piped up. The redhead raised a nonexistent eyebrow, giving her the queue to ask. “Do you know what prize is in the box?”

“Yes, and please don’t say ‘Mr.’” He replied, turning away. “It makes me feel old.” Matsuri squeaked out a quiet ‘ _Yes sir,_ ’ but Gaara decided not to comment on it.

“You coming?” Temari asked, beckoning to Kankuro. He groaned and slowly got up from the grass and followed the two, slouching dramatically like a toddler.

He was in a grumpy mood again. It was a norm for him, being forced to socialize with all these losers when he just wanted to relax inside his cabin and carve out his creations. He honestly didn’t even like the camp at all; he only came for the sake of his siblings, and getting away from their shitty household.

No one interested him. Most of the girls here seemed to be makeup wearing airheads, while the boys had no taste in art at all. It’s not like he didn’t enjoy playing basketball, or getting rough with Gaara when he allowed it, or getting drun— _Ahhh, What?_

“Gaaaaaaaara.” Kankuro groaned, latching his hands on to his brother’s shoulders and forcing all his weight on him. Gaara grunted in response, and elbowed him in the rib. “ _FUCK_! That hurt!”

“Stop complaining. And you reek.” Temari instructed, “Go shower.”

“Can we use your hot tub today?” Kankuro asked, in a sweeter tone than he ever uses. “Just tell us where you hid the key and I won’t complain for three whole hours.”

“I already told you Kankuro.” He replied back stiffly. “It’s for _Kages. Only_.”

Temari snorted, “Kages only, _my ass_. I saw you sneak someone in last night!”

Gaara eye’s slightly widened, but otherwise stayed impassive. He crossed his arms, “And why were you up that late?”

“I could ask you the same question, _bro_.” Kankuro teased, “ _Oh!_ Did you get laid in the pool—“

Gaara scowled, his cheeks slowly coloring from embarrassment. “No. And stop spying on me. Not everything concerns you two.”

“Did you at least use protection? Or was it hardcore—“

“Shut _up,_ Kankuro.”

“Seriously, who was that?” Temari asked sternly, and frankly a little hurt. “I think we deserve to know. I mean especially! If you got a first date and you didn’t even ask me for help?”

“Yeah!” Kankuro lashed out again, ”I’m SOO HURT. You’re gonna make me cry. _But_ , I won’t question any longer if you just give me the key for an hour?”

“Why do you wanna go in a hot tub right now?” Gaara asked, and grabbed Temari’s hand a forced her to start fanning him, “In this weather?”  
  


“You make it sound like we didn’t grow up in a desert.” Kankuro muttered back, “And I just want some alone time! Since Gaara won’t let me in his fucking room—“

“It’s for the _Kazekage_. Not the _sibling_ to the Kazekage.”

“ _Ehhhh kAzeKage. oNlY kAgEs_. _**Goddamn**_ , Gaara! You’re even an more entitled brat now. And what the fuck could you even be hiding in there? Damn, and I heard that Kakashi doesn’t even sleep in his suite.”

“Kakashi deeply loves the kids.” Gaara said. “I don’t love the kids that much. And I technically still am a kid.”

“No, you’re under the classification of a selfish brat who won’t share.” Kankuro snapped, kicking his brother in the back of his shoe, causing him to almost trip. Gaara kicked him back lightly.

“You’re under the category of a bitchy bastard who won’t socialize. And Gaara, no offense, but that also pertains to you.” Temari said amused, peering at the mess that she called a family.

“I’d slap you if you weren’t a girl.”

“Oh? You think you could take me?”

“Bring it on bitch!”

Temari narrowed her eyes to slits at the puppet master, who simply stuck his tongue out at her. Gaara pushed Kankuro further away from Temari, then sighed.

“You enjoy your round of fisticuffs, but I’m heading to the greenhouse. I’ll see you all at dinner.”

Temari nodded, then with a smile pulled Gaara forward into a squeezing hug, and lifting him in the air until he argued. She chuckled, then innocently waved goodbye. He replied with a small wave back, then disappeared in the horizon.

They watched him go, both secretly happy about the man he had become. He was their brother, as quirky as he was, he was home finally. 

“But seriously how the fuck is he our brother,” Kankuro questioned, to more himself than Temari. “Like, he’s so—“

“Cute?” Temari finished, smiling at the spot their baby brother recently stood. “He’s real cute.”

“What?—No, I was gonna say gay!” He exclaimed, “What straight man likes _botany_?”

“I think Gaara said it’s horticulture.”

“It’s the same shit.”

“Alright, Kankuro.” Temari rolled her eyes. She turned back to look if Gaara was still in sight, but he had already disappeared. She smirked devishly, causing Kankuro to be slightly concerned.

”Did you hide a body? I mean I got some trash bags in the truck—”

“No! Shut up, shut up,” She whispered in a hushed tone. “It’s not that again. We have around an hour to find that key. It’s gotta be his bedroom, so we’ll sneak in there.”

“There’s a lock on his door dipshit!” Kankuro deadpanned, “WOW. _Excellent_ idea.”

“ _I stole the key_ , Kankuro. He didn’t even notice!” She snickered quietly, reaching into her pocket and revealing a shiny metal object, “I saw he had it on him when we left to check up on you, so I plotted to steal it. Why do you think I hugged him?”

“Now come on!” She beckoned, already running back to their cabin, “Do you wanna swim or not?” She didn’t say another word and took off.

He grinned to himself, then began sprinting after her. He didn’t give Temari enough credit sometimes; hats off to her. She was still a badass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeee, I love them. Thanks for everyone who’s sticking with the story. Love you all!


	12. Rule Twelve: Keep Family Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenten couldn’t stop her heart from pounding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry sorry sorry for not updating. I love you all, and I did not abandon this story! I just wasn’t having the best week. On Monday I had an asthma attack and I was incredibly scared then had to go to the emergency room. Fucking allergies.
> 
> But, I’m feeling refreshed and creative! So, wa-lah! Enjoy the angst!

Tenten’s heart stopped when she heard the cry. She didn’t even wait for Lee to say anything and took off back to Neji.

In a split second her mind was already swarming with thoughts. Whatever had happened must of been bad, and there was no time to spare. She had never ran so fast in her life, and hell, she didn’t even care if she fainted once she got there. She just _had_ to get to him.

Neji never screamed, never. No matter how bad circumstances were.

Lee soon caught up to her but didn’t speak. They weren’t trying to keep the same pace as the other; They were just desperate to get back to their friend.

“Neji.” she cried under her breath. Her voice came out in rasps and her breathing was fast and exhausted, but she still yelled out. “ ** _NEJI_**!”

The forest was completely silent now. Maybe there was sound, but she was too focused to notice anything; she couldn’t here a thing, nor did she care. Her ears were ringing. Like sirens blasting in her head and hazardous red lights filling the sky. Nothing mattered but the one in need. If Tenten ran past Gai Sensei riding a unicorn she wouldn’t give a second glance at him. Her mind was jumbled with thoughts, but they all had the same goal, the same theme.

“NEJI!” Lee roared, louder and lower than his usual voice. His black orbs were wide with alarm and fear as he sprinted with her. They hadn’t ran too far from him, but sadly, they had no sense of direction.

Tenten’s head whipped left to right in search of the brunette. No Hyūga was in sight.

They ran and ran, perhaps in circles. They were absolutely frantic, sprinting back and forth like wild dogs after their prey. When Tenten realized they had past the same tree twice, she chose to take a different approach and focus on the voice of nature.

_Calm down, Tenten. He’s alright, calm dow—_

The birds screeched out and squawked, and soon enough all she could feel was irritation.

Birds were so annoying. They shitted on the ground and awoke her in the early morning. Nothing seemed beautiful about the creature to her right now, because they were too damn loud and she needed to focus on the voice of her friend.

Suddenly she was seeing red and a wave of madness overtook her. Everything was too noisy and she couldn’t focus on what mattered most. Fucking nature was so inconsiderate and she was ready to slap Mother Nature in the face.

Birds cawed and flapped around, rustling the trees and disturbing any sort of peace. All she could hear was their _damn screeching and—_

“ ** _JUST SHUT UP_**!” She shouted. She let out an angry scream and in fury kicked the nearby tree. Multiple leaves wilted to the grassy floor, and even a branch cracked.

The disturbance caused the birds to scatter in different directions, disappearing among the clouds like pure cowards. Horrific beasts that were good for nothing.

They were only good to be caged and locked away forever.

Hot tears stung her eyes and her knuckles turned white from clenching too hard. Neji was hurting and she couldn’t even find him.

What sort of friend was she? She never knew anything like their was going on, and Neji was her _best friend_. What if Lee was going through something like this too and she didn’t know? Maybe they didn’t even like her. What if—

She felt a strong hand on her shoulder, and it was one hell of a grip. Lee was staring his beady black orbs into her chocolate ones and all she could see was _love_.

“It’s gonna be okay, Teni.”

And that was all the reassurance she needed. The words somehow seemed to heighten her senses and snap her back into reality. There was no time for her to be crying when someone else was hurting far more than herself.

And suddenly, she could hear loud pants gasping for air coming from her side.

With one forceful yank, the both of them sped off in that direction. For once in her life, was Tenten was glad she did cross country. After all the painful meets and practices, she was fit and could keep running. Endurance was important, especially right now.

She saw a splash of white in the greenery, curled up in a ball under a weeping oak tree.

Her face instantly drained of color and palms went _white_.

“ _Neji_.” But it came out in a hoarse and exhausted pant that was almost unrecognizable. She was tired, but that didn’t matter now.

He wasn’t crying, but his eyes were shiny and daring to begin raining down. His eyes no longer resembled the bright shine of a moon. The way his eyes looked so broken and helpless cut like glass to a finger, straight to Tenten’s poor heart.

Lee was the first to react, instantly snatching up the Hyūga in a forceful yet tender hug, whispering gentle nonsense in his ear. She heard mumbles about Gai Sensei and the ridiculousness that followed along with their teacher. Lee kept talking about the ‘Drunken fist’ at Neji’s birthday dinner, (which I will definitely write a story about) and how utterly stupid he was.

She could only blink. No other muscle in her body cooperated with her. Panic and the exhaustion were two formidable foes that she could not overcome. Her legs had given out, and she fell on the floor right beside them. She stared at the mess.

With the last will in her body, she reached out to him, gently caressing the defines and contours of his cheek. Her hand was shaking as she felt his cold pale face. They made eye contact, as Tenten slowly pulled a lock of his hair behind his ear, and she choked on tears.

“Neji?” She croaked, scooting forward. She couldn’t finish her question, eyes too watery too see and throat too hoarse from the running. But they both knew what she was going to ask.

And no, he was not okay.

“Begin breathing with me, my friend. Just like Gai Sensei taught us.” Lee said tenderly but strictly, using hand gestures with his left hand and his other keeping a sturdy grip on the Hyūga. “In for one, two, three....out...”

Neji tried to copy the breathing pattern as best as he could, and Tenten watched. She found herself trying to mimic it too. Him being unstable caused her to fall like dominos, and she pleaded in her head that Lee would stay strong for the both of them.

And he did, which later Tenten would think about and surprise her. He was always the most sensitive out of them all, (rivaling with Gai.) He could act like a baby sometimes, really.

  
But Lee could be brave when there was no hope, happy when there was no one smiling, and thankful when there was nothing left. He was strong.

She wasn’t sure when she started crying but she felt the tears pour down her face, and soon enough they were all huddled together, foreheads pressed as close as they could get and hands connected in a bone crushing grip.

The trio sat there for what felt like hours, Lee trying to maintain a calm environment while Tenten held each of them close. They took his mind off of whatever had troubled him with their wild stories from sports or showing him the weird tiktoks they had made together in the past. Neji seemed to be improving and when he did, they both practically shoved their water bottles into his face and gave a look that meant ‘ _drink_.’

He took a long sip from Lee’s, then sighed. Color was returning to his face, and his breathing wasn’t audible any longer.

Neji stared at the ground, trailing his fingers along in the dirt. He didn’t dare meet their worried gazes.

“Neji, how can we help you?” Tenten asked, but she was _pleading_. She didn’t want him to suffer alone; carrying a yoke of sorrow around his neck until he gave out. With a superiority complex, he never asked for help. Even from his closest friends. This was no exception, she was sure.

“I don’t feel like talking about it.” He stated, voice still dry and discordant. The wound in her heart kept bleeding out as he choked out the words. “I’m fine.”

Though he never spoke, they both knew what was causing his pain. The horrid memories that plagued his dreams and mind. The ones that they couldn’t stop. 

That left a sinking feeling deep in Tenten’s chest.

“Let’s get you back to the infirmary.” Lee offered, but it was more of a command. He heaved Neji up and supported him, and silently the two began stumbling off, hopefully in the correct direction.

The heartbroken brunette followed quietly behind, praying to the stars in the sky and to whatever god there may be out there that she’d get some sort of sign that things would get better.

She spoke too quiet for anyone to hear her, and Neji was too lost to ever listen to her.

“Please talk to us when you’re ready.” Tenten begged softly. “We’re your family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will get better, I promise that to you guys, and Tenten. :)


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Never Make The Same Mistake Twice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nope, nope, not again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheheheheheeeeee. I love Ino.
> 
> Thanks for waiting! 💕

“Bonfire. Party. Now.”

She slammed her hand down on the table, the succulents bouncing with her strength. She had lost many of their verbal arguments in the past but she was determined to best him today.

Like night and day, hot and cold, the redhead and the blonde made a perfect fit, though unlikely. A crazy party girl with an awkward hermit.

It’s not that Gaara was completely unsocial. He had manners and he did enjoy talking to his cacti. It was the humans that he disliked so much. But Ino couldn’t blame him. People were shitbags.

“No.” He replied back shortly, then continuing to pour water onto the smaller cacti. It was so blunt and quick that Ino thought she could’ve imagined he said that, due to past experiences.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaara.” Ino whined, dragging her feet then throwing herself on him with a groan, “ _whyyyyyyyyyy_?”

“There are better things to do than that.” He said, then decidedly ignored her whining and began petting his cacti.

She snorted, then gazed at the plant he was tending to. “He’s one jackass, right?”

“Don’t listen to her.”

“Yeah, because the cactus has ears.”

The redhead rolled his eyes and began untying the garden apron he wore. The one that she got him for his birthday that was horrifyingly bright yellow. She was surprised he actually used it.

He lifted it up over his head, distorting his already messy hair and blinking his bright blue eyes. He gave a small pouty face as he tried to rearrange his hair, then realizing it was a vain attempt.

Ino’s lip turned up. He was hella cute.

Too bad she was gay.

Well, maybe that wasn’t the right way to say it. She definitely found dudes hot, (I mean take a look at Sasuke’s ass..) but girls were pretty too. _Really_ pretty. Long eyelashes, melodic laughs, and oh and not to mention the lovely dresses. Her brain connected dots, and suddenly a beautiful pinkette was all she could think about.

She was the prettiest out of all the girls. Well, except herself of course, but...

“Why are you smiling so evilly?” Gaara asked, snapping her back into reality. He was right in her face, and she jumped back with a squeal. She didn’t notice him due to her daydreaming, so she scowled and pushed him away with a huff. “Are you plotting world domination?”

“It’s something you’d probably not understand.”

“Girl things?”

“Sure, call it that.”

“Then I don’t want to know.”

Ino skipped over to her side of the greenhouse, humming pleasantly as she glided past all the botany. Flowers were beautiful, such a classic symbol of love. So much variety with different colors, shapes, and smells. Absolutely lovely.

“You have so many.” Gaara mused, stepping beside her. “They have grown beautifully.”

“Ha ha! Of course they have!” She proclaimed victoriously. She was very proud when it came to plants. “They’ll grow even better with me tending to ‘em! The sprinklers worked their magic during the spring, but now I’m here to make them AMAZING. Besides, the Kage Summit is coming up and I need to get all my flowers ready!”

“For the what?”

“Dude, how do you not know?” Ino demanded, then poked him in the chest. “You’re the damn Kazekage!”

“I wasn’t aware of any ‘ _summit_ ’ coming soon—“

“It happens _every_ year!”

“...”

Ino groaned, sinking down on the floor. “Oh, right I forgot. You’re the fucking hermit of the southern march and you don’t participate in any social gatherings.”

“I just don’t like people.”

“Gaara, you have yet to experience the wonders of manipulation!” Ino said, head locking him with one arm while her other extended to the stars, “How to get simple minded idiots to do whatever the hell you want them to do!”

“I already participate enough in this camp. I don’t feel obligated to go to things like that.”

“Well, it isn’t a choice for you this year.” Ino smirked, ruffling his hair as he barked a protest. “You’re the Kazekage, and therefore you HAVE to attend it! HAHA!”

“Is it just a meeting?”

“Meeting? Pfft—no way!” Ino said, then sighed dreamily. She began dramatically leaning on him as he tried swiping her away. She clasped her hands together and squealed. “It’s a formal! Everyone gets dressy and there’s food and people dance and people buy flowers from me and give them to their sweethearts—it’s so romantic!”

“Doesn’t sound too magical to me.”

“That’s because you have a black soul.”

“I didn’t bring any fancy clothing.” Gaara said with a slight wince. “And I don’t intend on ever doing that.”

“You’re not SUPPOSE to, _dUH_.” Ino rolled her eyes. “We go shopping in the nearby town! It’s so much fun! Seriously, how do you miss out on stuff like this and not regret it?”

  
He shrugged.

“It’s a while away though,” Ino admitted. “Don’t dwell on it. It’s in late July, so right now focus on going to a bonfire party!!”

“I already said no.”

“But your favorite blond bombshell with pretty blue eyes will be there!”

Gaara’s ears perked up. “Naruto will be going?”

Ino deadpanned. “No you gay idiot, Me! But yeah, I think he’s going. You can talk to him there! Get to know the guy better!”

The redhead paused, gazing down at the ground. That was sign of hope. Hope! Maybe his ridiculous baby crush on that knucklehead would finally come in handy.

“I’ll think about it.” Gaara decided, “But It’s been a couple hours, so I think I’ll go find Temari and Kankuro. See y—“

“No, no no no _no_.” Ino stomped her foot down, then ran to the door then flailed her arms out right in front of the exit. “You don’t need to check on them every two seconds! They aren’t toddlers, ya know!”

“No, but they are childish whenever I don’t threaten them.” Gaara reasoned, “Especially Kankuro.”

“You never hang out with me anymore!” She complained, “You’re always with them! Siblings siblings siblings. Geez, ever heard of friends?”

“We’ve been at camp for two days, Ino. We’re in the same cabin too.”

“But we haven’t even got to eat lunch together once.”

“I’m truly sorry that we haven’t.” He apologized, and it warmed her heart to know he was being sincere. She could tell. What made her waver was the new look that came across her face. It looked _sad_.

“But I wasn’t a brother to Temari and Kankuro for twelve years. I need to make it up to them as much as I can...Temari’s already in college and Kankuro will be moving out next year and...”

He looked down at the floor, kicking a pile of dirt, dust flying everywhere. “I’ll be alone again.”

That cut deep. Ino winced, struggling to find the right words to say. She would never know what it was like. To be alone for so long. She knew he had a rough past, full of torment and loneliness.

She certainly didn’t know all the details, but she knew he had recently opened up in high school.

Oh, and daddy issues. She knew that part at least.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you, Ino.” He said firmly, this time staring her straight in the eye. “You’re—my best friend, and I have no idea how I would survive this camp without you.” He smiled, then _laughed_. He _chuckled_. _Gaara laughed_. “You’re probably my only friend. So thank you for staying my friend.”

She didn’t know how to respond. No one ever called her their ‘best friend’ not even Sakura, nor Choji, nor Shikamaru. Especially when this was Gaara.

“Any time.” She managed to say, the words jumbled and coming out a little awkwardly. “I’m glad you let me be your friend.”

It was silent for a minute or so, the atmosphere as thick as Might Gai’s eyebrows. They were both quietly admiring the flowers, Gaara focused on a purple aster and Ino running her hands along some of the marigolds.

It was too quiet, so she has to make some sort of conversation. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

“Hey Gaa—“

Suddenly the door slammed open, way too quickly and forcefully. An innocent mistake from someone who didn’t know of the fragile pots and utilities inside. A shelf ruffled and suddenly Ino’s favorite vase fell to the ground.

“ **NO**!” She shrieked, then began running as fast as she could to the other side of the room.

Like the whole room stopped, she was in slow motion. The glass masterpiece was falling faster, and in her mind she could already picture the glass shattering everywhere. There was no way she was fast enough to catch it.

“Not again!” The newcomer cried, then in a flash they dived to the floor and caught the vase with a loud crash, ramming their head straight into a planter.

Ino gaped, snatching the vase from the person dying on the floor and holding it close. “Ohhh, it’s okay! No scrape nor shatter!” She rubbed her cheek against it, eyes closed in relief. “I almost lost you baby!”

“ _Oww_...”

Her eyes widened, instantly placing the vase back, then ran over to see none other than Rock Lee on the floor, rubbing his head. Right, someone was hurt. Person before vase... _riiiight_.

“Lee?” She hurried to yank him off from the ground, swiping off the dirt from his back and fixing his hair. “What the hell are you doing here? You almost smashed my vase!”

“I’m so sorry Ino!” He cried, leaping up and already spluttering our apologies. “I did not mean to cause such a mess, I simply came here and thought I’d find—“ he faltered, eyes locking onto the other gardener present. Gaara blinked back at him. “U-uhh, I meant... _uhhh_...” his cheeks colored in a dusty pink.

“You’re heating up.” Gaara commented, the frowned in something that looked almost like concern. “You hit your head hard. Are you okay?”

“Uhhhhh...yeS!” That was a voice crack if Ino had ever heard one.

He cleared his throat, as if to regain his composure. “Yes. I’m f-fine. Just a little light headed. But I will be fine! Do not worry about me!” He gave a wavering smile, but he seemed happy no less.

Gaara walked over to them, and to Ino’s surprise he placed his hand on Lee’s forehead. Her mouth literally gaped open. She was almost as shocked as Lee, who looked like a tomato.

“You seem fine, but I would check with the infirmary first.” Gaara advised. “Sakura was very nice to me.”

The redhead suddenly frowned even more, gazing deeply into Lee’s eyes. “Never mind. Something’s definitely wrong with you. You’re getting redder and hotter. Do you have a medical condition?”

Oh my _FUCKING_ god.

Ino watched with utter amazement. Was she dreaming? Gaara was one fucking oblivious dolt. How incredible! She didn’t think someone could be so blind! That only happened in animes! Oh wait—

“I assure you I’m okay!” He squeaked. “I just came back from the infirmary anyway. And I took a run to clear my mind, so that’s why!”

Ino smirked. She had a plan. “Hey Gaara!”

He looked over in her direction, beckoning her to continue speaking. She smiled in a devious way. 

“I think you should show Lee the cacti your growing.” She piped up, trying her hardest to restrain the giggles daring to splurge from her lips, “I heard from Sakura that talking about plants can help relax the mind, especially when someone’s tired. Maybe it will help Lee.”

“I’ve never heard that.” The redhead said, but shrugged and didn’t question it. He turned to the stuttering senior. “Would you like me to show you?”

Lee said nothing, mouth agape. He nodded no less, so Gaara walked over to his side of the green house and Lee followed.

“I’m gonna hit the Mess Hall, see you two around!” She called out loudly, then ran through the door and shut it behind her before either of them could protest.

Ino could’ve honestly sit back and watch the show. She loved rom coms, and she was sure they fit the trope. But knowing the both of them, who were two awkward weirdos, they needed a little push. And some alone time.

Gaara was a hermit, and nobody would push him out of his comfort zone like she knew Rock Lee could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I’m glad I could write this one. Maybe it was a little too rushed, but I couldn’t help myself. I’m excited for all the development. And you’ll see more of Neji soon, don’t worry he’s okay. More of Sasuke and Naruto!s relationship will be shown during the bonfire, so look forward to that. :D
> 
> Thanks for sticking with my weird story! Love you all!


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Pay Your Debts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiba gets mad (again) and Sasuke gets mad too. (With some other feelings...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in a while! I got busy with some work and applications. I got a job! Whoo Hoo! I mean, not a career since I’m still in school, but now I something to keep me busy!

“Kiba, stop glaring.” Shino warned, giving his friend a light slap to the hand. “You’re going to cause a scene.”

“I’d be damned if I didn’t.” The brunette snarled in return. “That bastard thinks he can call me a—AND I QUOTE, ‘ _fucked up owner_ ’ and walk away? I’d beat the shit outta him if I could!”

The boy known as ‘Kankuro’ was currently sitting at the table opposite from them. He was talking to some blonde girl who was made a counselor last year. He assumed they had some sort of relation, since they were always seen together.

“They’re going to notice you, K-Kiba.” Hinata admonished, “We don't want him to get even angrier.”

THEY were going to notice HIM? No no, Kiba wasn’t the one staring. It was the damn bastard who couldn’t take his eyes off of Hinata! The hell does he think he is? Every single time he could, Kiba swore he saw him looking at her.

“I don’t care if he does!” He barked, “He insulted me and Akamaru!”

But all the same, Hinata and Shino didn’t need to know the real reason why he was gonna beat his ass.

Hinata was too sweet, and in all honesty he was very worried for her. She was too shy and agreeing to stand up for herself. And if some big-headed jerk like him were to come up and shove her around?

Better to show the consequences before he even tried.

“Let it _go_ , Kiba.” Shino said, fixing his glasses and pulling his jacket collar up. “There will be people out there who don’t like your ways of owning Akamaru. He’s one of them.”

“Why don’t we go cool off at the lake?” Hinata offered.

“That sounds nice.” Shino agreed. “Kiba?”

“Yeah, yeah sure.” He grumbled, then began to stand up. “Just give me a minute.” Shino tossed him a glance. Even through his dimmed sunglasses, Kiba could tell he wasn’t too pleased. “I’ll be right behind you guys, go on. I need to stop by the cabin and get Akamaru anyways.” Since some idiot said I couldn’t bring him.

“Don’t start any trouble.” Hinata said quietly, and she and Shino (hesitantly) left the Mess Hall.

Kiba always used his instinct. He didn’t think too hardly about anything, and when his mind was made up he would not rest until he fulfilled his task. He wasn’t like Shino, who took concrete time to think things through. Nor was he like Hinata, who let others choose what to do. He was a born leader, with a gut feeling and quick reflexes.

So naturally, Kiba stomped over to Kankuro’s table like an upset child.

The girl noticed him first, giving him a look of disgust. She muttered something to Kankuro and he turned to look. He gave a similar look as to hers, but only there was a hint of smugness.

“Oh, you.” He said with a sneer. “What do you want?”

“Who’s this?” The blonde girl said, turning her nose down towards him.

“He’s the dumbass who decided to bring his dog into the Mess Hall without a leash.”

Kiba’s hand clenched into a fist. “I _said_ sorry.”

“Well, care to tell me why you’re ruining our scheming?” He asked dully. “I’m kinda busy.”

Kiba opened his mouth to begin his rant, but Kankuro cut him off with a cheeky grin and exclamation.

“Oh! And yeah, I figured out what my IOU will be. Get me a date with the hot chic with the grey eyes. She’s your friend, right? Shouldn’t be too hard.”

Kiba was _boiling_.

Kankuro seemed to notice, and raised an eyebrow. “What? Is she your girlfriend? Geez, calm down man. I thought she was on the market.”

“Market my _ass_!” He barked in rage, “She’s not clothes! And Hinata is WAY above you, purple freak.”

The girl snickered, saying something like ‘ _oooh_ ’ while Kankuro’s eye was twitching.

“Listen kid.” He growled back, “Don’t you ever call me names unless you want your ass served to you on a platter. I have an IOU and you’ve got to do your part.”

So much was racing through Kiba’s head, but as mentioned before, he did not think to far ahead. Hinata was like a little sister to him, that he knew. And now way in hell would he ever let a scumbag like him take her out on her first date. So the answer was simple and clear.

“She _is_ my girlfriend, idiot!” He snapped, “Get the hint, and keep grubby hands and eyes off of her, unless you wanna deal with me!”

The two boys literally stared each other down. Kiba’s fists were clenched and his teeth were grinned tightly in his closed mouth. Both were pissed off, that could be easily seen from a passerby. It was a destined fight between men.  
  
  


Kiba could easily do the ‘ol hit and run, but that was the move of a coward. He could start a full on fight, but Kankuro had company and the power of superior height on his side.

“Hey, I have an idea.” The blonde girl said, shoving Kankuro out of the way and breaking the tension. “Why don’t you help us with something else?”

He raised an eyebrow, and in a bitter tone he asked “What?”

“See, we need you to give us a distraction, about ahh...three hours tops.” She explained, “Just so we can do stuff. Yeah. Can you some cause havoc?”

Kiba blew the tiny hairs out of his face and crossed his arms. “Pfft, yeah. I can cause hell to break loose. No sweat!”

“Great.” She said, “Then I need you to distract the Five Kages and Tsunade for us.”

Kiba would’ve asked questions, as to _why_ they wanted to do that, but he closed his mouth. It was rather this, or force Hinata into a date with _him_. So before they changed their minds, he nodded.

She grinned, “Awesome. Especially make sure you distract Kazekage.”

“Is he the creepy redhead from the Sand Cabin?”

“He’s not a creep.” Kankuro spat, rather defensively, “But yeah. Make sure he’s busy.”

”Whatever.” Kiba rolled his eyes. He then narrowed them into slits as he met eyes with Kankuro. “But this will be the _last_ time I talk to you and your ugly ass. A one time thing.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” He retaliated, then began daintily waving his fingers, “Toodaloo, motherfucker.”

_What a dumbass._

Sasuke sighed in relief, then tore the wretched strip of paper to shreds to the point where it put Humpty Dumpty’s fall to shame. Littering was awful for the environment, but honestly he was too ticked off to pick it up.

The answer was a toothbrush. It had to be. If it wasn’t he’d be damned.

He didn’t bother to find Ino or Sai, he could do this on his own. If the clue was “toothbrush” then the logical answer was that there was a key hidden in the bathroom.

The only problem was that there were many bathrooms in the camp. That, and there was a possibility it could be in the woman’s restrooms too.

With that number in mind, (and a scenario where he was found sneaking into the ladies room) he decided to enlist some help. Ino disappeared, and Sasuke did not feel like finding her. And Sai was—weird.

He needed to find a girl, perhaps more than one. That would be nice.

Hinata? Tenten? Sakura? Those were the only ones he really knew from his cabin. But none of them were his friends. He didn’t have friends, nor did he want them.

The Uchiha wandered around aimlessly, checking the male bathrooms as he went in search of a female companion.

He couldn’t find _anyone_. His luck was wonderful today—

“SASUKE!”

Said person internally groaned. The screechy and bright voice of Naruto Uzumaki called out to him, and he could here heavy steps and pants coming from behind him. There was no escaping this bastard.

“Saaasuke!” Naruto beamed, jumping on him from behind, unsteadying Sasuke and forcing him to shove the blond to the ground.

“Get _off_ me.” He snapped with a temptation to step on his hands to inflict more pain. He rested with a mutter of ‘ _dumbass_ ’ and ignoring Naruto’s complaints about injury. He simply walked away from the whining boy on the grassy floor.

Sasuke couldn’t believe that guy. Why did he stay so persistent? Naruto left him alone all of the school year, plus last summer. What sparked his determination to befriend him again? He didn’t make any sense.

He decided to speed up his pace. Sasuke didn’t feel like dealing with Naruto’s stupidity anymore today, so the easiest way of avoiding that fate was to avoid him altogether. That was his go-to plan for the whole summer, but the Dobe wouldn’t let _go_ —

He had a goal, and he got distracted by Naruto. But with good habits ingrained into his mind, he returned to focusing on finding a female he knew. He rested on Sakura, since she seemed to take a liking towards him and would probably do whatever he said without a word of complaint. Plus, she was pretty smart and would most likely be the most help for finding the key.

“You rude bastard.” Naruto remarked, popping up right beside him, despite his . Sasuke’s eye twitched. He was a leech, incapable of understanding the words ‘ _fuck off’_ and overall being one of the most annoying things on planet earth.

“Leaving me on the ground!” He went on, matching his pace and speaking so casually as if they were friends. “To die! I could’ve died! And the last thing you said to me was dumbass!”

“Get _lost.”_

“That’s no fun.” Naruto said, then stuck his tongue out. “You can’t have your emo phase with me here.”

“I’m busy,” Sasuke seethed, pushing him away, only for him to skip straight back like a magnet.

“You don’t look very busy.”

“Go. Away.”

“Here! Let me help!” Naruto offered, with a toothy smile and a thumbs up. “I’m super helpful.” Doubtful.

Sasuke was about to bark at him to leave him alone, but something tugged him at the back of his throat. An instinct, perhaps.

_You could put this idiot to work,_ whispered a tiny voice in his head.

“You know what?” Sasuke grumbled, complying with his idea. “Go ahead. It’s easier than hiding your body.”

Naruto literally lit up like the morning sun. And Sasuke swore he’d never seen so many shades of blue before. His eyes were so telling. And so incredibly interesting—

_**Stop admiring the boy. You don’t deserve to. Not after what you did to me.** _

Sasuke visibly winced and his face went pale. Panic and worry scattered throughout his body. He shivered. Naruto couldn’t find out something was wrong. No, that would make him bother Sasuke even _more_.

“Sasuke—“ Naruto said, and _dear god_ Sasuke could here the concern in his voice. Was he _that_ noticeable..?

“Go check the women’s bathrooms.” He blurted out as fast as he could. A look of pure bewilderment came across Naruto’s features, but Sasuke didn’t have time to convince him fully. “Go, if you want to help me.”

“What if girls are IN there?” Naruto asked halfheartedly. He saw Sasuke’s dangerous look and didn’t feel like pushing him off the edge. Still—

“Look for a key.” Sasuke commanded, then began storming off. “Don’t talk to me until you’ve checked every single one.”

“ _Teme_ —!”

Sasuke began to walk away, then speed walk, then sprint. Back to a safe haven, wherever he could go. The best place would be the edge of the forest. He needed to hide, so he could be sad and cry. He had to feel absolutely awful. To the point where a quick death would be a blessing. That numbness was a feeling, and his eyes were as red as his favorite vegetable.

He had to feel like wanting to die, but couldn’t.

That was the only way to please _him_.


	15. Rule Fifteen: Share Your Past To Shape The Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto’s dumb, Tenten’s sad, and Hinata’s hear to help.
> 
> (What a cringey chapter name lmao too lazy to think of something else)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I KNOW ITS BEEN A WHILE. 
> 
> Believe me, I’m not abandoning this story. I thought I mentioned it, (but maybe I didn’t. Sorry!) but I was one a two week vacation with family out in Northern California. WiFi was bad, had no time to watch anime nor read. For the reason that’s it been a month and not two weeks is because of my summer job. So sorry! Hope this was worth waiting!

  
Naruto stood blankly at the patch of grass where the cold Uchiha recently stood. Contrast to popular belief, he could be pretty observant when he wanted to. He had a lot of questions, but he knew he couldn’t get the answers to the, until Sasuke opened up. That is, if he ever would.

Right now, he was given orders to snoop around in the women’s...bathroom. What if he saw Sakura—! He’d get his ass whooped..

He winced. That would be a _really_ painful encounter.

Come to think of it, why DIDN’T Sasuke just ask a girl to do it? All of them are practically clinging to him, so it wouldn’t have been hard.

Besides, he had no CLUE what he was even LOOKING for! Maybe he could lie and say he checked every last one—no, Sasuke was too good at reading people.

HINATA!

That was it! She was always so kind to him (and really, really shy???) so why not ask her? No way she’d say no.

He nodded, convincing himself that it was a good idea. That would make Sasuke happy... _hopefully_?

His eyes lingered back to the horizon where his best friend had disappeared, then returned to the grass that lied in front of him.

  
  


Tenten stared down at the blue lake, light flickering back in forth in the waves. Shouts of other high schoolers having fun in the water were almost inaudible to her.

Tenten loved water. She had played many different sports, and water polo was one of them. She was proud to say that she was most likely the best swimmer out of all the Konoha females. She was beaten in speed by Lee for sure, but she would continue to work towards the day they were even. It was a long way away, but it would never be impossible.

She would always improve, every day.

_Better than we were yesterday_.

Gai Sensei loved to push the three of them. Over their limit, and into boundaries of excellence they never knew existed. That’s what made him so great. He went beyond plus ultra, beyond the end and over the top. He never gave up on a goal, and never ever gave up in his students.

So why had Neji given up on them...?

She was hurt in many ways. Neji would not speak about what happened, nor would he even talk to her about anything! Lee and Tenten were shut off. So she was hurt that he didn’t trust them enough with his sorrows.

Her chest ached from crying and breathing so heavily, and her head was spinning. Too much speaking and turning, too much running and screaming.

It was the second day of camp and things already looked bad for them. What a fucked up summer.

Tenten didn’t know how long she’d been there. The colors on the water changed from a nice deep blue, to orange to red, to purple, to black. Time felt like an illusion.

It was night, and her stomach hurt in hunger and her knees felt tired and cramped for hugging them too long. She had stopped crying a couple hours ago, but it didn’t heal the wounds in her head. Neji was hurting and all she could do was watch.

At some point, she fell asleep. She was so very tired and she faintly remembered being lifted into Lee’s arms, with each step as the boy trudged back to their cabin at the middle of the night. Her weary eyes could still see the bright stars in the night sky, scoured about and twinkling. Summer nights were always magnificent. But it was a wasted night.

Lee dropped her off on the sofa, where tons of her friends were waiting anxiously, then helped support her as they walked into their sleeping quarters. Ino brushed her hair and Sakura handed her a plate of sesame buns, gently forcing one into her mouth. Hinata held her hand, looking as distant as she herself was. Maybe she found out about Neji too.

Days passed. Neji was still sleeping in the infirmary under the care of Tsunade. He was still silent, and only aloud a few people in at a time. She heard from Shikamaru, who visited often to play games, that he was doing fine. She didn’t bother to check on him right now. He didn’t want to see her, and she knew that.

Oh, and they lost the challenge.

Shikamaru managed to solve the final riddle before anyone else, which Kakashi informed everyone that his intelligence was the savior for their cabin. Tsunade was a little shit, and decidedly left out the part that whoever solved the final question would receive extra points. They gained 300 points from it, so they were so far in second place. The Iwa cabin came in first, so they were ahead of everyone by quite a bit.

Ino postponed the bonfire party from two days ago to today. Tenten was looking forward to it, really. Notice the _was_.

She would sit this one out today. There would be many more parties to come, totally. With Ino and Kiba around, nothing would be ever close to quiet. Besides, she needed to get the hours of sleep she lost back.

“T-tenTen?”

On reflex, her head snapped up and jerked forward. The younger female who had approached her jumped back in surprise too.

“Oh.” She said. “It’s you.”

It hurt. To see those same crystal moon eyes staring right back at her, but they weren’t the same.

“May I sit?” Hinata Hyūga asked quietly, clutching her purse tightly and holding her shoulders together. “I can leave if you’d like, I just thought—“

“No, sit.” Tenten said as kindly as she could manage. It came out wrong; with a voice crack and a cough towards the end.

The younger hesitated, then carefully slid down on the opposite side of the table. Hinata was quiet, staring bashfully at the patterns on the wooden table. It looked like she was trying to say something, but was too shy to speak.

“It’s crazy, huh.” Tenten muttered, pushing her glass of water back in forth as she slouched further down onto the bench. “To think that summer just started and my head hurts more than it did at finals.”

“Y-yeah.” Hinata agreed timidly, eyes averting they brunette. “What a strange year.”

“Hopefully it’ll get better. For everyone.”

“Y-yeah.”

The two fell in to silence again, Hinata looking away once again and Tenten too tired to keep a conversation going.

Since nothing was happening, she decided to take the chance to study the Hyūga. She was far different from Neji, but her features resembled him. Her eyes; those held the same beauty as his. As well as her nose, and even her jawline.

And her smile. The few times she got to see Neji’s teeth were short, but engraved in her brain forever. There was no doubt, they laughed the same way and they smiled that way too.

They were definitely cousins.

The mere reminder of that almost made her sick in an instant. Cousins, but Neji despised her. Tenten never got the answer as to why just her. She was to flustered and innocent to do anything hurtful. If Neji hated her with such a passion, then maybe Tenten should feel the same way. Maybe she caused that—panic attack?

Her thoughts were loud, too loud. And if this kept going, she was sure she’d blow up at Hinata for no reason at all.

“Hinata, you don’t need to sit here because of pity.” She finally said, with a long heavy sigh at the end.

The Hyūga looked appalled at her statement, mouth slightly hanging open and her silver orbs wide with confusion.

“ _Pity_?” She cried, in the loudest voice Tenten ever thought she’d heard her speak in, “Im not here for that!”

Everything was quiet. After her strong statement, she looked back down, almost defeated. She riddled with the strands of her purse and traced her fingers along the table.

“I miss him too, you know.”

The two met each other’s gazes, and Hinata smiled, forlorn etched into her face. “He’s my cousin, after all.”

The Hyūga sighed, then lifted her purse across her shoulders, setting it onto the table. Tenten watched in a daze. She didn’t follow; what the hell was going on?

“I didn’t come here for pity.” She repeated, but this time she was firm and her eyes showed determination. “I wanted to tell you what really happened. You deserve to know...”

“I hope I don’t burden you with this information.” She said with a sad wince. “Because you can’t tell your friend Lee. Nor your Sensei, or anyone. It’s a Hyūga affair, and my father is....big in the business world.”

Tenten couldn’t answer, but from the look Hinata was giving her, she could tell that she understood.

“Alright. Well, I guess it’s a long story...”

“Man, what a drag!” Ino whined, sinking onto the floor. “Why is everyone so depressed!?”

“You sound like Shikamaru.” Kiba muttered. “That’s not a good thing, by the way.”

“Things were going SO well at the start!” She groaned again, her hands flailing around aimlessly to intensify her irritation. “We had drinks, Gaara agreed to come, and even better, I had the PERFECT SHOES TO WEAR!”

She slapped her hands onto her face and let out an unattractive moan. “ _Uuuuuugh_ , nothing ever goes my way!”

“We can still do this thing!” Kiba urged, “Just because we had a little setback doesn’t mean we quit! And besides, Neji’s no fun anyways. Just a mean douche.”

“You’re always hatin’ on him.” Ino frowned. “The guy is unstable!”

“Does it _look_ like I care?”

“Well you should, you immoral beast.”

“Hey, this will go off without a hitch.” Kiba said, changing the topic. Akamaru barked beside him in approval. “Besides, what’s the worse that could happen?”

“Many, many bad things could happen.” Shino said ominously from the corner, making the two crackheads jump.

“Fuck! Don’t do that man!” Kiba yelped, “I forgot you were still here.”

“Everybody always forgets me..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, it’s short, and the next one is too, but it’s key for development. Don’t worry, the bonfire is soon to come :3 love you all, sorry for the long wait! 💕💕💕


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Work As A Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bAckSTORYYYYYY~
> 
> (Sorry it’s short)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, two in one day! I’m sorry for the long wait guys, I’ll try to post more often! Thanks for Sticking with This ridiculous story, and love you all!  
> 💖💕💞

_Hiashi Hyūga stared at the dinner table, lost in thought._

_Hinata stared over at her father, lost in worry._

_They started their evening meal around 5:45, and now it was 6:28 and her father still had not taken a single bite off of his plate._

_“Father?” She asked quietly and hesitantly. They weren’t suppose to speak at dinner, but she felt brave enough to ask just this once. Something was disturbing him._

_The tired man looked up and back to his eldest daughter with a sigh, “Yes, Hina?”_

_The young teen bit her lip and looked away. “You’re acting very distant, papa. Is something wrong?”_

_Hinata observed his features, from the constant wrinkles that wouldn’t leave his face to the sunken look in his eyes. Her father was a busy man, a wealthy CEO, who often faced difficult decisions for the sake of his business. But usually, he acted rationally and calmly in situations. Something was wrong this time._

_“Nothing, sweetheart.” He muttered from across the table. His hand rested on his forehead, and again, he sighed._

_“What’s wrong with papa?” Little Hanabi whispered to her, though it wasn’t much of a whisper. She was sure everyone could hear her younger sister’s question. “Is he sick?”_

_Hinata shook her head, looking down. “I don’t know Hana.” She whispered back, then left it at that. Hanabi stared back at her, then looked away and continued eating her meal._

_“Mama?” Hinata asked. It was late at night, Hanabi was already asleep and her father was off somewhere again. The two sat around in the kitchen, her mother cleaning dishes and Hinata spinning on the counter stool._

_“What is it Hina?” She replied gently. She put one last plate away, then leaned over the island to look at her daughter with complete focus._

_Hinata looked away bashfully as of habit, playing with her fingers then biting her lip. “Is....something wrong with Papa?”_

_Her mother, who resembled her very much, gave a sullen look and a sorry smile. She walked over to her daughter, then gave her a tight back hug. “Oh no, dear. Your father’s just stressed about work.”_

_“Won’t you tell me what’s going on?” She cried out, “I want to help him!”_

_“It’s secret, dear.” Her mother sighed, “and I’m afraid there is not much we can do for him.”_

_“There has to be something!” Hinata said, with a newfound bravery and determination. “Papa does so much for us and...we can’t even help him?”_

_As stated before, Hinata was the splitting image of her mother. And like Hinata, her mother was so sweet and could easily be persuaded. With one lip bite, her mom sighed._

_“I suppose you’re old enough to know what’s happening. But you cannot tell a soul.” Hinata nodded, a little feeling in her chest bubbling with joy. She stood up for herself._

_“Hiashi’s in a predicament. There’s a wealthy businessman offering our company partnership and profit, but the company is far from Japan. It’s a dangerous country, from our knowledge, and we’re worried there could be many awful things planned... It’s just not safe.”_

_“But in order to expand we have to make bold moves, correct Hinata?” Said girl nodded, and her mother continued, “So Hiashi is fixed on this partnership. He’s just worried. That’s all.”_

_“If it’s dangerous, why don’t we have a stand in for him?” Hinata asked, “Like, a representative? So if they aren’t the head of the business, then—“_

_Hinata faded off, mouth closed as she looked at her mother. She was in a daze, staring blankly at the countertop. There was a tiny twinkle in her eye, then she stood up abruptly, causing Hinata almost to fall out for her chair._

_“You’re very intelligent, dear.” Was all she said. With a kiss on the head, her mom left the kitchen, and straight into the master bedroom and disappeared for the night._

“ _I_ killed Neji’s dad.” Hinata choked out, tears welling up. “It’s my fault he’s dead.”

He didn’t hate her irrationally. She gave the idea, she was the one that proposed it; she didn’t mean it like that, but it came out that way. She didn’t mean a doppelgänger, she meant a representative. But that didn’t matter.

It was interpreted wrong and the events happened and Hizashi Hyūga died because of her foolish words.

The girl across from her stared blankly, just like her mother did last year. A look of realization.

What did she realize? That this was all her fault? Did Tenten hate her too? Would she exploit that? Did she blame her—?

“It’s not your fault.” Tenten whispered, and a hand reached over the table and squeezed her hand.

She let go of her pale hand and stood. “Thanks for telling me Hinata. We’re more similar than I thought.”

Hinata blinked. _The same? How?_ She was bold and fearless, while herself,on the other hand—

“We both miss him. That’s what we have in common” Tenten said, then took Hinata’s hand once more and pulled her up. “So let’s get him back.”

“I heard you were in the infirmary, so I came right away.”

“I’ve been bored,” Neji muttered.

“I’ll gladly keep you company,” Smiled the boy from the Mist Cabin. He plopped down right behind the Hyūga and ran his hand through the wavy locks, “Ooh, I have so many ideas!”

“Do whatever you want, as long as it’s nice.” Neji said with a teasing smile. Haku laughed, then went back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY, the bonfire will be in like 1-3 chapters hopefully. Ahhh development is wonderful 💕💕💕 love you all and thanks again!


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